tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91963162615859409712024-03-13T19:32:41.386-07:00Sister, Daughter, Mother, WifeLiving Our Vocations as Lutheran WomenAnna Mussmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11631139113615066986noreply@blogger.comBlogger458125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196316261585940971.post-39308263768410485922021-12-23T19:04:00.003-08:002021-12-23T19:04:37.907-08:00I Do Not Apologize for My Christmas Spirit<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">By Abby Leithart <br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjc8-LNcBjAtg6ihlr2p1xySc2DkBcx7JGZ427yGbRENbARh0KtROHK8X3VhAtpd6_tuzd6S3ZCa6ySz-c7KOi8F0xwB1iOMmStlS4Jd0_mA41UqCnYjCmlfZLSAjAoU9YDBrwFrXv0qEAAPBVrVocuSL34O0ywj5yVrFRMMR8MJxKYEzZr9QTr30s0=s960" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="960" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjc8-LNcBjAtg6ihlr2p1xySc2DkBcx7JGZ427yGbRENbARh0KtROHK8X3VhAtpd6_tuzd6S3ZCa6ySz-c7KOi8F0xwB1iOMmStlS4Jd0_mA41UqCnYjCmlfZLSAjAoU9YDBrwFrXv0qEAAPBVrVocuSL34O0ywj5yVrFRMMR8MJxKYEzZr9QTr30s0=w400-h266" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">At my hot yoga
class recently, the instructor started the session by saying she loves
Christmas. She told us that the class will, indeed, be full of Christmas music.
I was beaming from ear-to-ear, considering how much I, too, love Christmas! Next,
however, she apologized to anyone who does not care for Christmas or who finds
it a difficult time.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> <br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Yes, Christmas can
be hard. The magic and romance of the season can be a sharp reminder of lost
loved ones or of loneliness in one’s life. Life can be difficult, but guess
what? There is good news. The joy of Christmas does not lie in gifts, sitting
by a fire sipping on hot cocoa, tree decorating, going to see the Nutcracker,
looking at beautifully decorated lights outside of a million dollar home, or
listening to Frank Sinatra serenading you with “Have yourself a Merry Little
Christmas.” Just to be clear, these are wonderful and great things that I enjoy
during Christmas time, but the joy of Christmas lies in a single tiny baby.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">A baby who brings
life after death. A baby who brings the forgiveness of sins to all who believe
in Him even though none of us deserve it. That is why Christmas brings me immense
joy! We do not deserve anything but death, and yet, He came to save those who
believe in Him and are baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit. It is the most precious and undeserved gift we will ever receive.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> <br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Even unbelievers
recognize that Christmas is special. They are right! So, do not apologize for
your Christmas joy, unbelievers! Look beyond yourself and you will find grace,
mercy, and forgiveness that will last an eternity. For Christ is our joy,
always. The devil may try to convince us of the lie that we have nothing to
celebrate, but he is wrong.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">***</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhPpNCTfG9TWtb6_qZql9r7TTgIXPAfNKrMv4MMOSzTyHa2BUIZ3foS4yZCYbVxX-QLfG-fBBtwe6kOUzzrtScjXxeA7i9fX5m03-YgxJNKGh-7SoTHUiutEejkmE-2SF9TlOBbaX4DUvEhg0md1B1q79S7JKhiAw-WBblEFaiq_kdYbbYPwAxKFcjH=s841" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="841" data-original-width="841" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhPpNCTfG9TWtb6_qZql9r7TTgIXPAfNKrMv4MMOSzTyHa2BUIZ3foS4yZCYbVxX-QLfG-fBBtwe6kOUzzrtScjXxeA7i9fX5m03-YgxJNKGh-7SoTHUiutEejkmE-2SF9TlOBbaX4DUvEhg0md1B1q79S7JKhiAw-WBblEFaiq_kdYbbYPwAxKFcjH=w200-h200" width="200" /></a></div>Abby Leithart joined the Immanuel Lutheran School faculty located in Alexandria,Virginia in 2020 as Kindergarten Assistant Teacher. Miss Leithart brings to the classroom six years teaching and eleven years of professional dance company experience. She was a company member with The Dayton Contemporary Dance Company for five years before moving to Virginia and working with various companies in DC. She has taught youth and adult classes at City Dance Conservatory (Rockville, MD), Ballet Nova Center for Dance (Arlington, VA), Joy of Motion Dance Center (Washington, DC), and Born2Dance Studio (Vienna, VA). She continues to teach and choreograph outside of the Kindergarten classroom. </div><div><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Miss Leithart received her BFA in dance at Wright State University and has continued her training with additional summer intensives such as Hubbard Street Dance Company, Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, and NW Dance Project. She was recognized with the Regional Dance America's Northeast Josephine Schwartz Award for best emerging choreographer (RDA) in 2015, and has choreographed a variety of solos and group performances. She has performed around the world, including in Azerbaijan, Russia, England, Cuba, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, as well as locally at the Kennedy Center in DC.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 12pt;">An active member of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Miss Leithart enjoys serving the congregation through participation in the choir.</span></div></span></i></div>
Anna Mussmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11631139113615066986noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196316261585940971.post-80997082093244365292021-11-08T10:25:00.002-08:002021-11-09T11:08:42.901-08:00How We Learned to (Actually) Do Family Devotions<div style="text-align: left;">By Anna Mussmann</div><div style="text-align: left;"> <br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Until recently, my husband and I didn’t do
regular devotions with our children. We prayed before meals and bedtime, of
course. We told Bible stories and talked about God. Yet unless we were in
church or doing homeschool lessons, we didn’t consistently read God’s Word
together. We <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">meant</i> to do it. We made
various plans at various times. We acquired various devotional books and
started them. Somehow, it never worked. The rather pathetic reason is that we kept
forgetting.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">It wasn’t how we wanted to live. We wanted
to show our children that studying and praying together is not only good, but <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">normal</i>, kind of like eating breakfast or
lunch. Yet as St. Paul laments in <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="https://biblehub.com/romans/7-19.htm">Romans</a></span> 7, we did not do
the good we wanted. We “just weren’t good at doing devotions.”<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">I don’t want to blame our struggle on being
Lutheran. Yet I think it’s true that when Christians live in grace, as
Lutherans attempt to do, we can find ourselves caught in a strange brain space.<br />
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Humans have a tendency to treat whatever
is mandatory as important, and, conversely, whatever is not mandatory as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">optional</i>: that is to say, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not as important</i>. If, for instance, I
told my children that seatbelts save lives but I let them choose whether or not
to buckle up, would I really be communicating the importance of seatbelts?<br /> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjts98rIR0U4nznssA8CF_Gisvhjc7s6-zQCPPFtKa_k4zH4Ie0ZD_2H79V-Txj1MjPVJJxKUGopjz4_wd-E4l1oEICgN0As3X8L8a2UWoSuRjcyubnz_ex6JkUvl71fjxE9o9O2bsckDQ/s800/Family+devotions+Charles_de_Groux_-_Blessing_before_supper.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="410" data-original-width="800" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjts98rIR0U4nznssA8CF_Gisvhjc7s6-zQCPPFtKa_k4zH4Ie0ZD_2H79V-Txj1MjPVJJxKUGopjz4_wd-E4l1oEICgN0As3X8L8a2UWoSuRjcyubnz_ex6JkUvl71fjxE9o9O2bsckDQ/w400-h205/Family+devotions+Charles_de_Groux_-_Blessing_before_supper.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span><a name='more'></a></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Living
in Grace is Tricky<br /></span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Martin Luther ran into this problem, too. When
he and other reformers preached the freedom of the Gospel to the peasantry, he
expected the people to flock joyfully to church. They didn’t. Instead, once
freed from Rome’s rules about obligatory religious observances, many were more
inclined to loll at home. Later they even started smashing stained glass
windows, but that’s another story. Luther’s grief and disappointment was
intense.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">It is not that the reformers were wrong.
They preached truth, and many of their listeners did respond with joy and
faith. The point, though, is that humans are very bad at living in grace.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">As a teenager I knew several
(non-Lutheran) Christians who were intensely dedicated to their personal
devotions. In fact, I remember some girls who stated that the only way to remain
Christian is to spend at least an hour every morning in God’s Word. Their
legalism made them harshly critical of everyone else, but at least they were
“good at” devotions. They were also good at using peer pressure to keep each
other’s noses to the grindstone. Legalism can be a highly effective motivator.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">It’s a dilemma that seems to haunt the
church throughout time: Either we push ourselves and each other into line with
legalistic rules that often backfire into works-righteousness, or we. . . we
what? What is the other path? What does it mean for personal prayer and
Scripture reading to be neither “mandatory” nor “unimportant?”<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">I’ve been thinking about this lately, and
I have realized that a Lutheran understanding of Christian life is actually very
helpful here.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Lutherans
Know Our Wills are Weak<br /> </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">As Lutherans, we are continually reminded
that we are poor miserable sinners. The confession of sins we pray in Divine
Service Setting I includes the phrase, “We have sinned against you in thought,
word, and deed, by what we have done and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">by
what we have left undone</i>.”<br /> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">It is a mistake to envision personal piety
as something that develops spontaneously from a sanctified will. Our wills are
weak, distractible, and often ignorant. They can’t be trusted to help us make
the changes in our lives that we claim to want. Our wills need help to do what
is good and right. Like toddlers, they need firm guidance as well as <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="https://www.sisterdaughtermotherwife.com/2018/02/why-lutherans-are-like-two-year-olds.html">constant
repetition</a></span>. We can choose to be proactive and practical by putting
boundaries in place for ourselves.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">However, this isn’t about putting
ourselves back under the law or trying to live up to some kind of legalistic standard.
We are saints! We desire to pray and meditate upon God’s Word! You yourself are
presumably reading this article because family devotions are something you value.
That is a gift from God. We want to do devotions because He has begun a good
work in us (Phil. 1:6).<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Thinking through our own behavior and
making sensible plans for the future isn’t legalism: it is a right and proper response
to God’s good gift. Here are some of the steps that helped us.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Think
through the “Why”<br /></span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">During the pandemic, my husband and I
became much more conscious of why we wanted regular family devotions. For us,
it was important to realize that habits shape who we are. In moments of crisis
and struggle, we all tend to fall back on the choices and behaviors we have <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">practiced</i>. In addition, just as we teach
our children to recognize the importance of church by regularly taking them to
church, we learn the importance of reading God’s Word <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">by regularly reading God’s Word</i>. Our priorities, values, and loves
are all shaped by what we do, see, and hear. We wanted our family to be shaped
by family devotions.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Talking about this over time as a couple was
important. The opening chapters of James K. A. Smith’s book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">You Are What You Love</i> helped inspire us
to think through our choices. James Clear’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Atomic
Habits</i> also gave us good ideas about thinking about our goals in terms of
habit formation.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">We
Needed Something Very Short<br /></span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">One reason we struggled in the past was because
we chose materials that were too long. Even though I believe strongly that toddlers
should be taught to obey and sit still when appropriate, it still felt like a
lot of extra work to get the kids to listen quietly to a long passage. After all,
the habit was a new one for them. Because it felt like so much work to do
devotions, I was less motived, less enthusiastic, and—I admit it—less likely to
help my husband remember.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Things changed when we shifted our
mentality. We realized we needed to use something very short and simple to
create the habit of devotions. Later, we can tweak, expand, and develop
what we do. For now, my husband simply chooses a Psalm for us to pray together,
followed by the Lord’s Prayer. We sometimes talk briefly about the meaning of
the words we are hearing. We repeat each Psalm frequently so that we and the
children can learn them by heart. It’s simple enough to stick.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Reasonable
Consistency is Key<br /></span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Sometimes we still miss devotions.
However, we are reasonably consistent. Reasonable consistency is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">huge</i>. It takes an aspiration and makes
it a norm. Norms shape people. They build a family culture. They carry us
through bad times when our will and intellect are weak.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">In the past, the biggest obstacle we faced
was forgetting our plans until it was “too late.” By the time we remembered, the
kids had already gone off to do chores or school work. The clock was ticking,
my husband needed to start work, and life had seemingly moved on. The solution
turned out to be doing devotions anyway. If we forget, we now call everyone
back. If needed we stand around waiting for the kid in the bathroom. We let the
clock tick. We let ourselves be late. This is a little painful, but pain is
memorable. It helps us remember the next time. <br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Conclusion<br /></span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">These are the plans and boundaries that helped us (finally) learn to do family devotions. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px;">I hope we will continue to grow in this area. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px;">We have not transformed ourselves into a family that is necessarily “good at” doing devotions in a particularly impressive way. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Yet by God’s grace and my husband’s faithfulness, we </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">do</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> devotions. It is a gift for which I
am grateful. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Family prayer isn't "mandatory," but it is part of living in grace. It is even part of what it means to be Lutheran. It is <i>good</i>. <br /></span></div>
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">***</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Thanks for coming to this blog! Would you like to hear from us when we publish new content? </i></span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px;">Do note that if you want to subscribe, you may need to check your spam folder for the confirmation email. </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><div class="ml-form-embedContainer ml-subscribe-form ml-subscribe-form-3960859" id="mlb2-3960859">
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<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">***</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9DBVLs2LSF7ePtvfK60-mbSsslcYzWH2R6pLVL66Xdali21bncZrbTKDlfOU19YuqzeP-nbW809dB5KFF64aAoqDwpaq086G9E70YTexua0rDGR0vvHZvDWj0j-KTgsrpctwHjSk_fFQ/s1001/Mussmann+Anna.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1001" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9DBVLs2LSF7ePtvfK60-mbSsslcYzWH2R6pLVL66Xdali21bncZrbTKDlfOU19YuqzeP-nbW809dB5KFF64aAoqDwpaq086G9E70YTexua0rDGR0vvHZvDWj0j-KTgsrpctwHjSk_fFQ/w200-h200/Mussmann+Anna.jpg" width="200" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Anna homeschools her children during the day and writes in the evening. Anna loves Jane Austen, dark chocolate, and the Oxford comma. She reviews the books she reads on </span></i><span class="MsoHyperlink" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/17812040-anna-mussmann" style="color: #378ba7; text-decoration-line: none;">Goodreads</a></span></span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">, and her work can also be found in</span></i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="https://thefederalist.com/author/annamussmann/" style="color: #378ba7; text-decoration-line: none;">The Federalist</a> and <a href="https://witness.lcms.org/the-magazine/">The Lutheran Witness</a></span><a href="https://witness.lcms.org/the-magazine/">.</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">(Title image <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Charles_de_Groux_-_Blessing_before_supper.jpeg">source</a>).</span></div>
Anna Mussmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11631139113615066986noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196316261585940971.post-41270061593090280602021-06-15T10:24:00.002-07:002021-11-09T11:12:38.464-08:00While You Wait for a Child<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">By Carol Yenish<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Five years. I waited five years before
being given the opportunity to celebrate Mother’s Day with a child of my own.
My five years doesn’t sound so long when we think of women who may never see
that day, or when we remember Sara in Genesis 21 who waited decades before
witnessing the birth of her son Isaac. But it’s still true that each year when
Mother’s Day rolled around it was painful to notice the growing groups in the
pews around me in church—to see that where four members once sat there were now
five, or six, or seven; while my family dent in the pew remained at
two…two….two.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Even one year of waiting can feel like an
eternity when you hope and pray with the passion of Hannah, for month after
month in anguish, to be given success.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It can feel so lonely to work through your disappointment each cycle
with even the most loving husband at your side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <br />
</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p><span><a name='more'></a></span><br /></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXXFOyXF-e7ySN6bw-EwNFDP_2zESfK3KPKCl4onEFJb7wtjHyJ2UyzmgfW_BG3lgkch5LfEI_p2cY2aQwkIHFVR7qhe_qBaJ9R1GD3xG-rfWDRgrrjfEfJt8cTDPGP5V8UjPJF_Zn6Mk/s469/Samuel_dedicated_by_Hannah+%25282%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="469" data-original-width="429" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXXFOyXF-e7ySN6bw-EwNFDP_2zESfK3KPKCl4onEFJb7wtjHyJ2UyzmgfW_BG3lgkch5LfEI_p2cY2aQwkIHFVR7qhe_qBaJ9R1GD3xG-rfWDRgrrjfEfJt8cTDPGP5V8UjPJF_Zn6Mk/w366-h400/Samuel_dedicated_by_Hannah+%25282%2529.jpg" width="366" /></a></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Hannah too, despite Elkanah’s great love
for her, was grieved by the constant taunting of more fruitful wombs around
her. “And Elkanah, her husband, said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And why do you not eat? And why is your heart
sad?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Am I not more to you than ten
sons?” (1 Samuel 1:8).<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">That’s the thing with waiting for a
child.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no amount of food that
can satisfy the hunger for a chance to give birth. There is no limit to the
number of happy and satisfying days you can experience and yet still long to
give them up for ones filled with children of your own. There is no comfort in knowing
you are waiting, even while you cling to the promise of God’s plan for your
life to “prosper you, and not to harm you” as He says in Jeremiah 29:11. The
disappointments of this world are heavy even though we have hope for the
future.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">I wanted to say something to make the weight
of waiting for a child feel lighter, but I don’t know that I can.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe knowing that you are not alone will
help for a moment. Maybe caring for the children of others will help fill that
gap for you as it did for me. Maybe you will create something spectacular while
you have the freedom. Maybe you will spread the extra love you have to give on
your friends and neighbors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe you
will not have to wait much longer, or maybe you will be given the strength to
wait longer still.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>May God bless you and
fill you with His peace that passes all our understanding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amen.
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">***</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Thanks for coming to this blog! Would you like to hear from us when we publish new content? </i></span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px;">Do note that if you want to subscribe, you may need to check your spam folder for the confirmation email. </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><div class="ml-form-embedContainer ml-subscribe-form ml-subscribe-form-3960859" id="mlb2-3960859">
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<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">***</span></div></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUVsvz5ADS0E3E4a8VDtKoUPej5VVWPt6KG_LdUgqkEylo3wISZouETrbyK-rYaZfjdasv41ZZ7XjK5uCM8nD4kiRWio0aghqvfgZAOEmEYMES7ZLhfUw8ojqIUek001V-vDN6P3aKCbI/s958/yenish+carol+%25282%2529.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="958" data-original-width="957" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUVsvz5ADS0E3E4a8VDtKoUPej5VVWPt6KG_LdUgqkEylo3wISZouETrbyK-rYaZfjdasv41ZZ7XjK5uCM8nD4kiRWio0aghqvfgZAOEmEYMES7ZLhfUw8ojqIUek001V-vDN6P3aKCbI/w200-h200/yenish+carol+%25282%2529.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><i>Carol Yenish is a Director of Christian
Education graduate from Concordia University Chicago. She went on to serve as
an LCMS missionary in Japan before returning to marry her husband in 2010.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They currently live in Jackson, Mississippi where
they likely have the largest (or the only) collection of snow shovels in the
neighborhood from their home state of Minnesota. Carol goes to bed looking
forward to her morning coffee, and wakes up looking forward to writing after
her children fall asleep.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">Post image: "Samuel Dedicated by Hannah at the Temple" by Frank W.W. Topham. Image is in the public domain in the United States. </span></div>
Anna Mussmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11631139113615066986noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196316261585940971.post-2279481465996969892021-05-06T10:36:00.003-07:002021-11-09T11:13:05.447-08:00We Will Never Solve “Mom Guilt” by Saying It Shouldn’t Exist<div style="text-align: left;">By <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Anna Mussmann<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">My son had trouble falling asleep last
night and came downstairs to tell us the shadows in his room looked like ogres.<br />
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">When he’s afraid of the dark, he is not
comforted by a logical exposition designed to demonstrate the absence of
monsters. Only two things really work. The first is praying with him. We ask
God to give him safety and courage. The second is letting him select a pie
server or rubber spatula from the utensil jar. He carries it upstairs so that
if he sees a suspicious shadow he can stab it. After all, you never know,
right?<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">I shouldn’t feel so impatient when one of
my children wanders downstairs after bedtime. After all, there are a lot of similarities
between childhood fears and “mom guilt,” and I know what it’s like to be
afflicted by the latter. I, too, have occasionally lain in bed struggling with
worries that might not even make sense.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnEkAEkqypTBQwBkgSOO-O1IQvliKxK208c9iwpuJ3Wkx51-Ew6jx2frjlePCpfWubAxnJ2M48JXw-39QaDXUqSFfD_iTcD6xwwQvUGx5wDShkTNn054jpai_-7qknd-4gRKBqeX_7Geg/s541/mom+guilt+Elizabeth_Nourse_-_Mother_and_Three_Children_-_Google_Art_Project+%25282%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="289" data-original-width="541" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnEkAEkqypTBQwBkgSOO-O1IQvliKxK208c9iwpuJ3Wkx51-Ew6jx2frjlePCpfWubAxnJ2M48JXw-39QaDXUqSFfD_iTcD6xwwQvUGx5wDShkTNn054jpai_-7qknd-4gRKBqeX_7Geg/w400-h214/mom+guilt+Elizabeth_Nourse_-_Mother_and_Three_Children_-_Google_Art_Project+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span><a name='more'></a></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The biggest parallel between fear of
monsters and mom guilt, though, is that so many people try to solve both
problems the wrong way. My son’s fears are not actually unfounded. The root of
the issue is his sense that death and evil exist. In a way, he is right to be
afraid. It is genuinely possible that something bad could happen to him or to
our family on any given night. Arguing with him about shadows and flickering
nightlights will never erase this truth.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">In the same way, most attempts to erase
mom guilt miss the point. You’ve probably heard the cultural message: you just need
to decide <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">you’re a great mom</i>. As <a href="https://www.todaysparent.com/family/parenting/why-mom-guilt-is-the-biggest-lie-of-all/">an
article</a> from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Today’s Parent</i> says,
“If all moms feel guilty—and research shows that we pretty much all do—then
there's no ‘better’ mother to compare ourselves to. Turns out mom guilt is a
sham.”<br /> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">This argument defines guilt as the
product of being lower on
the scale than someone else. It's not an uncommon</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> attitude, and despite sounding reassuring, it fuels the tendency to criticize and tear each other down so that no one is “better.” It also makes it hard for moms to mentor and
teach each other, because any suggestion that someone else might know enough to
help you is immediately threatening.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">That writer’s main point, though, is that
moms "shouldn’t" feel guilty. Yet we do. Of course we do! Modern Americans don't acknowledge it in theological language, but we all know moms sin.
Becoming aware of each other’s mistakes, weaknesses, and sins doesn’t somehow
absolve us of our own.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">If we are going to escape the slavery of mom guilt, we need constant
reassurance that Jesus died <i>for us</i>. Yet as we try to repent, it helps to recognize that the issue is complicated.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> As a culture, we’ve
mixed several disparate feelings and tendencies—not all of which are specifically
sins--into one bundle and called it “mom guilt.” We, like my son, need our pie
server-equivalents to test the shadows that creep into our minds at night. Questions make pretty good spatulas.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">1.
Is [this thing I feel guilty about] Something I Am Actually Supposed to Do?<br /></span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">One reason moms are so busy comparing ourselves
to others is that, unlike in other times and places, our culture does not
provide us with a uniform and cohesive view of what a good mom is supposed to
do. We keep peeking around uneasily to see what everyone else seems to be
doing.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Simply recognizing this gap is liberating.
It frees us to examine our own assumptions, goals, and lives. What do we
actually hope to do as mothers? What do our children truly need? What does God's Word say about this beautiful, natural, self-sacrificial vocation? Working
through questions like these with our husbands can be helpful. (Maybe even check out a template </span><a href="https://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2021/01/73594/" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px;">like this one)</a>. <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Knowing what </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">we</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> are actually trying to do can help us avoid false guilt for failing to live
up to other people’s priorities.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">2.
Am I Struggling with Pride?<br /></span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">We moms tend to frame ourselves as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">victims</i> of mom guilt. Sometimes, though,
we’re the perpetrators.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">We want to feel skilled and
successful at what we’re doing. We want—deep down--to
paraphrase <a href="https://biblehub.com/luke/18-11.htm">the Pharisee</a> of
Luke 18 and pray, “I thank God that I am not like other moms.” When events or
our children show us up and ding our pride, we are prone to mislabeling how we
feel as “mom guilt.” <br /> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">It’s healthy to ask ourselves whether our “guilt”
is focused on our children’s actual needs or on other people’s perception of us
and our children. If our feelings would be different if no one had seen what happened, perhaps we should repent of pride
instead of complaining about guilt. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">3.
Have My Fears Been Triggered?<br /></span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">A while ago, my two-year-old fell on the cement
step that leads to our back door and bit his tongue. The poor little guy bled
at lot at the time, and later he woke up in pain during the night. It made me
feel guilty. If I had held his hand, he wouldn’t have fallen.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Yet I also know it would be damaging for
him if I kept him tethered permanently to my hand. Why, then, did <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I</i> feel guilty because <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">he</i> happened to stumble? Maybe my pride
was triggered—maybe I like to think of myself as more powerful in my children’s
lives than I really am—but I think the biggest factor was something else. I
think fear is often mislabeled “mom guilt.”<br /> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Children are so precious and so
vulnerable. Their pain triggers our recognition that sin, death, and evil exist—and
that we do not have the power to overcome them for our children. A little
accident reminds us that a big one could happen. <br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">In moments like this, I try to turn my
attention away from “feeling guilty,” because the phrase isn’t accurate. What I
really need to do is take my fears to Christ. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px;">I can pray for the courage to face suffering and danger.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> I can cling to His promises for
me and my children. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">4.
Am I Suffering Because I Love My Kids?<br /></span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">There is, of course, another reason we moms don’t
like to see our children suffer. We love our children! It’s unpleasant to see
anyone we love in discomfort or pain. There’s nothing wrong with this. There is
no need to label our natural sadness “mom guilt” as if we need somehow to salve, cure, or erase it. It is OK to be appropriately sad. It is OK to love.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">5.
Am I Experiencing the Work of the Holy Spirit?</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">We moms sin against our kids. Quite frequently.
Sometimes we develop long-term sinful habits in the way we mother.
Sometimes we make life decisions that sinfully prioritize our own desires over
the good of our children.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">In these cases, our guilty feelings are <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">good</i>. They are the work of the Holy
Spirit calling us to repentance. They are a sign of the mercy of the Savior who
leaves the ninety-nine sheep to seek after the one who is lost. Mom guilt can
be a blessing, because it reminds us who we are (sinners and saints, redeemed by
God). We are the children of a Heavenly Father who never fails us, never sins,
never feels guilty; but instead takes on our guilt and nails it to the cross.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">We won’t solve mom guilt by telling moms that
monsters don’t exist. They do. Even in us. Instead, let’s remember the Savior
who has already defeated the monsters and given us His righteousness. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px;">Mom guilt is complicated, but Christ's mercy is not.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px;"> He can forgive us whether or not we sort through, understand, and correctly label our feelings. He can step into the gap and save our children when we fail. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Through
Him, we can celebrate this Mother’s Day without the burden of mom guilt--not
because we’ve erased our guilt but because He has. In that sense, modern American pop culture is right. You don't have to feel guilty.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">***</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Thanks for coming to this blog! Would you like to hear from us when we publish new content? </i></span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px;">Do note that if you want to subscribe, you may need to check your spam folder for the confirmation email. </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><div class="ml-form-embedContainer ml-subscribe-form ml-subscribe-form-3960859" id="mlb2-3960859">
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<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">***</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0QVstRDuCBaDchw-6jgiOxDBRjjkFrnw5TLYtpd3Be9pvOW_xIU9TCGFLCiDjh22bEwPiyduQfmj3wakG4LOpSCbjHX41Q6GVJRZWV_7E46V4yVH1Bnzzt82gRllmB8qKB5Hg81xKV1Q/s1001/Mussmann+Anna.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1001" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0QVstRDuCBaDchw-6jgiOxDBRjjkFrnw5TLYtpd3Be9pvOW_xIU9TCGFLCiDjh22bEwPiyduQfmj3wakG4LOpSCbjHX41Q6GVJRZWV_7E46V4yVH1Bnzzt82gRllmB8qKB5Hg81xKV1Q/w200-h200/Mussmann+Anna.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><i style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">After graduating from Concordia Wisconsin, Anna taught in Lutheran schools for several years. She now homeschools her children during the day and writes in the evening. Anna loves Jane Austen, dark chocolate, and the Oxford comma. She reviews the books she reads on </span></i><span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/17812040-anna-mussmann" style="color: #378ba7; text-decoration-line: none;">Goodreads</a></span></span><i style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">, and her work can also be found in</span></i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="https://thefederalist.com/author/annamussmann/" style="color: #378ba7; text-decoration-line: none;">The Federalist</a></span>.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">Image <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Elizabeth_Nourse_-_Mother_and_Three_Children_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg">source</a>.</span></div>
Anna Mussmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11631139113615066986noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196316261585940971.post-77988692235088807882021-04-21T16:40:00.005-07:002021-11-09T11:13:48.927-08:00Dear Single Sisters in Christ<div style="text-align: left;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">By
Abby Leithart<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Being
a single Christian woman comes with many tensions. While many others around me
are becoming engaged and having babies and more babies, I am desiring all of
the above. Perhaps you, too, are single; you, too, desire to be married; you too
have tried telling yourself being single is a blessing (not saying it is not);
you too go back and forth between praying about it and wondering what the point
of these petitions is. Does God even care about these desires?<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">And
on top of all of these internal battles, everyone around you gives conflicting
advice. In my experience, one of the least helpful pieces of advice concerning
meeting a potential husband is, “You know when you know…” Thank you for
pointing out the very thing I do not know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>*le sigh. Another example of disheartening words to a single woman is,
“how are you still single?” *le sigh again…I egotistically ask myself the same
question! So many women seem to have no trouble finding a suitable husband, why
can’t I?<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">It
is easy, at this point, to look inwardly and critically and think that surely
there must be something wrong with me. It is easy to fall into the devil’s
traps when you are wallowing in self-pity.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeEW2WsWiXlftn-BWqGWT_NZJBRtti-89SGd9YxqWfTZ0osT8mSnq4vp98Rnw0a6zhGY3dIH4rrqCqaxeNeXyRPDVeKAPpQE8ayl6MDIlDBd4-jG_VUG_RNXltBE3rBDFYfhaR9KgFqjA/s2048/links+Woman_Reading_by_Eastman_Johnson%252C_San_Diego_Museum_of_Art+%25282%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1053" data-original-width="2048" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeEW2WsWiXlftn-BWqGWT_NZJBRtti-89SGd9YxqWfTZ0osT8mSnq4vp98Rnw0a6zhGY3dIH4rrqCqaxeNeXyRPDVeKAPpQE8ayl6MDIlDBd4-jG_VUG_RNXltBE3rBDFYfhaR9KgFqjA/w400-h206/links+Woman_Reading_by_Eastman_Johnson%252C_San_Diego_Museum_of_Art+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span><span><a name='more'></a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">There
have been other times when I have thought that the more I do my daily devotions
and read God’s Word, the more He will bless me, give me the desires of my
heart, and be merciful to my poor self in the ways that I see fit. But as my
dear pastor, Pastor Christopher Esget, reminds me, that is far from the truth!
Of course it is good and right to read the Word, do daily devotions, and pray;
but just because we do these things does not mean God will instantly bless us
with the desires we have been praying for.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">John
16:24 tells us, “Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and
you will receive, and your joy will be complete.” The key thing to remember here
is that our joy rests in Jesus alone. Nothing in this life will fulfill our
earthly and eternal needs as does the Lord. Yes, pray for the desires that you
seek from God, but ultimately, pray for faith!<br /> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
have spoken with many single and married women, and each want something different.
One was single and desired marriage, and the Lord fulfilled that prayer, but
now, she wants a child. Another is married and blessed with a child, but hopes
for a second. The Lord blesses another with five children, and now she just wants
peace and quiet. . . well, can you blame her? My point is, we are always going
to be searching for earthly wants. These desires may be good, but we cannot
make them the center of our focus.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Although
his story is not one focused on singleness, the events of Job still come to
mind. Even in the midst of darkest despair, pain, and loss, He praised God.
“Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” (Job 2:10). What a wonderful
example of perseverance and faith. As a single woman desiring marriage, I look
to my faith in these times of difficulty. In the years that seem like a never
ending drought, the Lord comes with His Word and Sacrament bringing healing.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">When
I fall into excessive contemplation of my own feelings and lot in life, I ought
to stop and remember my baptism, His promises, and how He has, and will always
provide what I need. It is not easy to remember that His ways are better than
my ways, but we pray over and over again that His will be done.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">So,
how then should we live? Certainly not in constant sadness and dare I say,
anger. Yes, there will be times when you cry yourself to sleep at night because
another man you have tried dating ended up not being your husband, or because you
simply feel the pangs of loneliness.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Yet
as Rebekah Curtis and Rose Adle say in the book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://www.cph.org/p-28440-ladylike-living-biblically.aspx">Ladylike</a></i>,
“No person who pleads to God for a husband is called to loneliness, though it is a fact of her life.” God’s immediate blessings of family, friendship, community,
faith, and love can help turn the focus from ourselves and prevent us from
making our greatest desires our idol. At times, it is difficult to accept where
the Lord has placed us, but our lives right now are no mistake.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Resist
falling into the devil’s temptations and lies of loneliness and despair. You
are not alone, dear sister, the Lord is with you. Ask Him to show you and teach
you patience. He will provide you with what you need, which may be different
than your strongest desires. But He is faithful in His Word and Sacraments. He
will be faithful to us until our last breath. Stay constant in prayer, repent,
praise Him for saving us from this wretched world, and receive His grace and
mercy.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">***</span></div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiPDQ5R_ZZAIO8xK31WmhY366onJOYV8nrNfXJ0Wvc6ojWdyFBobFnfskRccaGTlM0LlnnRA_CiTYFi84X1LZVtNkEK0ZEI02pn50XYy3ZEXWL-k9lWI5UmwVozg3ENpcig-jJiNmA1QQ/s841/Leithart+Abby+2.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="841" data-original-width="841" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiPDQ5R_ZZAIO8xK31WmhY366onJOYV8nrNfXJ0Wvc6ojWdyFBobFnfskRccaGTlM0LlnnRA_CiTYFi84X1LZVtNkEK0ZEI02pn50XYy3ZEXWL-k9lWI5UmwVozg3ENpcig-jJiNmA1QQ/w200-h200/Leithart+Abby+2.png" width="200" /></a></div><div>Abby Leithart joined the Immanuel Lutheran School faculty located in Alexandria,Virginia in 2020 as Kindergarten Assistant Teacher. Miss Leithart brings to the classroom six years teaching and eleven years of professional dance company experience. She was a company member with The Dayton Contemporary Dance Company for five years before moving to Virginia and working with various companies in DC. She has taught youth and adult classes at City Dance Conservatory (Rockville, MD), Ballet Nova Center for Dance (Arlington, VA), Joy of Motion Dance Center (Washington, DC), and Born2Dance Studio (Vienna, VA). She continues to teach and choreograph outside of the Kindergarten classroom. </div><div><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Miss Leithart received her BFA in dance at Wright State University and has continued her training with additional summer intensives such as Hubbard Street Dance Company, Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, and NW Dance Project. She was recognized with the Regional Dance America's Northeast Josephine Schwartz Award for best emerging choreographer (RDA) in 2015, and has choreographed a variety of solos and group performances. She has performed around the world, including in Azerbaijan, Russia, England, Cuba, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, as well as locally at the Kennedy Center in DC.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 12pt;">An active member of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Miss Leithart enjoys serving the congregation through participation in the choir.</span></div></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></i></div>
Anna Mussmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11631139113615066986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196316261585940971.post-41904842666264153002021-04-19T16:55:00.002-07:002021-04-21T10:28:35.469-07:00Help us Circumvent the Algorithms of Our Technological Overlords! Or, why you should sign up for our newsletter!<p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">By Anna Mussmann</span></p>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">I’ll admit it: I want people to read the
things I write. At least, I want the people who want to read the things I write
to read them. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">When I post articles from this blog on
Facebook, they fall, of course, into the great algorithmic stream ostensibly dammed
and channeled so as to show each of you what you are most likely to want to
see. Yet the stream doesn’t belong to </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px;">either</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">you or me. It’s Facebook’s stream,
and they keep asking me to pay them money to show you my posts. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Facebook's pay-to-play system isn't the only impediment, either. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWxBwU049w1yXn5p-MA7qkJLr9VAaOmy3cvhwftx4mWB-DzGs-jCZd6gwUN0bg_QdEbcpP_f_L4GvkDGYfOKWqPpSbDVex7gWzAGff5gnZw1iS41rzj9Fpe4hca91_qYYmEbA3oWtYHUA/s800/Julius_LeBlanc_Stewart__Les_Dames_Goldsmith_au_blois_de_Boulogne_en_1897_sur_une_voiturette+1901.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="542" data-original-width="800" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWxBwU049w1yXn5p-MA7qkJLr9VAaOmy3cvhwftx4mWB-DzGs-jCZd6gwUN0bg_QdEbcpP_f_L4GvkDGYfOKWqPpSbDVex7gWzAGff5gnZw1iS41rzj9Fpe4hca91_qYYmEbA3oWtYHUA/w400-h271/Julius_LeBlanc_Stewart__Les_Dames_Goldsmith_au_blois_de_Boulogne_en_1897_sur_une_voiturette+1901.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">You probably heard about the surge of “deplatforming”
that followed the 2020 election. Do you know, for instance, that it is now officially
against <a href="https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/supporting-the-2020-us-election">Youtube’s
policy</a> to allow any content “alleging widespread fraud or errors changed
the outcome of a historical U.S. Presidential election?” Or, for another
instance, did you hear about the bishop <a href="https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/prepare-to-be-cancelled/">blocked</a>
from Twitter for tweeting in opposition to assisted suicide? Or that Facebook <a href="https://www.patheos.com/blogs/geneveith/2021/01/deplatforming/">would not
allow</a> the Lutheran Center for Religious Liberty to “boost” a post in response to violence in the U.S. capital? </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">I’ve been wondering lately about the
future of this blog—especially about my ability to share it. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">A while back, Facebook attached a warning
label to an article from this blog. The label said our piece contained inaccurate
information about Kenyan obesity rates. Now, in reality, the article did not
mention obesity, Kenyans, or even Africa. Yet the warning popped up anytime a
reader tried to share the post. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">It may well have been a mere error—just a
coincidence. Yet there was no way to appeal the label, and that says something about Facebook's priorities. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">It would be nice to have a way to
connect with each other independent of the big tech platforms. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">What about
signing up for the Sister, Daughter, Mother, Wife newsletter? You can do so in
the right-hand sidebar on this site. You’ll probably hear from us once a month.
You’ll get bonus content (including a chance to join a discussion group). It
will be fun! It will help stick it to the technological overlords and their all-powerful
algorithms! </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Do note that if you want to subscribe, you'll have to hit confirm in the email you get after signing up</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Hoping to connect,</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Anna</span></div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Anna Mussmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11631139113615066986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196316261585940971.post-42217373840670288922021-04-17T16:51:00.002-07:002021-11-09T11:14:08.132-08:00Using our Words to Repent<div style="text-align: left;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">By Anna Mussmann</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“In the beginning was the Word.” Without
language, we would not know God. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">We would not hear His voice in the pages
of Holy Scripture. We would not hear the words of absolution spoken by our
pastors. We would not understand God’s creation of the universe or the meaning
of the Word made flesh for us. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">We would be fully lost and fully alone. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">God has given us the gift of language and has
blessed us with the task of using it to share His word with others. We are told
to send <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/verse/en/Romans%2010%3A14">preachers</a></span>
to the lost and to teach the faith “<span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/verse/en/Deuteronomy%206%3A7">diligently</a></span>”
to our children by talking of it “when you sit in your house, and when you walk
by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">We are meant to be people of words.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3vVyEJFvwqcvXV52tKS1A1NFBwKy51SwnwTHKQKH8ps4qlH2v9ZX0ohdTu9Fj_mioviZWAGIZV15oUPyBAg1_Pw9kagJUEE5IknD18MmfIgT09ehyR3P-UOrHXcLHtOVIDjZxb6cvT3o/s800/babel+woke+language+repent-The_Hendrick_van_Cleve_III_Group_-_The_construction_of_the_Tower_of_Babel.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="577" data-original-width="800" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3vVyEJFvwqcvXV52tKS1A1NFBwKy51SwnwTHKQKH8ps4qlH2v9ZX0ohdTu9Fj_mioviZWAGIZV15oUPyBAg1_Pw9kagJUEE5IknD18MmfIgT09ehyR3P-UOrHXcLHtOVIDjZxb6cvT3o/w400-h289/babel+woke+language+repent-The_Hendrick_van_Cleve_III_Group_-_The_construction_of_the_Tower_of_Babel.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span><span><a name='more'></a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Yet when humanity attempted to build a
tower to Heaven, God gave us Babel instead. Why would a loving father respond
to the sins of His created children by taking away the ability to communicate? </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Perhaps the answer is related to another question.
Why does Exodus say both that Pharaoh “hardened his heart” and that God
hardened Pharaoh’s heart? Pharaoh become unable to listen to the divine word
relayed by Moses—unable, that is, to repent. His story is bitterly tragic. Likewise,
when we reject God, He gives us over to the tragic loneliness of our own
darkness. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“In the beginning was the Word, and the
Word was with God, and the Word was God. . . . In Him was life, and the life
was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness
did not comprehend it.”</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">To lose the ability to hear and comprehend
the Word is to experience the fullness of sin’s curse. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">That’s why we should be worried that modern
Americans aren’t much different from the folks who built Babel. It’s easy to laugh
at <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="https://www.kurzweilai.net/huffington-post-mind-uploading-digital-immortality-may-be-reality-by-2045-futurists-say">Ray
Kurzweil</a></span>’s expectation that humans will achieve immortality by
uploading our consciousness to the internet, but aren’t we, too, guilty of
trusting modern knowledge and technology to protect us from suffering? Our
tower may be less literal, but it’s still a way to reach our own man-made version
of “heaven.”</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Perhaps, then, it’s no coincidence that our
twenty-first century outpouring of technological achievement is accompanied by
an attack on language. I’m not talking about small skirmishes like banning <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Huckleberry Finn</i> because of the author’s
vocabulary. I’m talking about the way celebrities, academics, journalists, and
activists are perpetually adding off-limits words and phrases to a changing
list. In addition, they tell us that many ordinary-sounding words now mean
entirely new things. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Recently, for instance, British midwives
have been <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/new-policy-tells-midwives-to-stop-using-terms-such-as-breastfeeding-and-breastmilk-20210210-p571b7.html">instructed</a></span>
by the National Health Service not to say “breastfeeding” or “breast milk” because
the term suggests feeding an infant with one’s body is a feminine activity
involving the use of breasts. “Chestfeeding” or “human milk” are supposedly
more accurate and inclusive. No doubt, however, the terminology will continue
to evolve—“chestfeeding” may well be an offensive phrase someday. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Consider also the modern urge to alter the
language of the Bible. One of the most obvious examples is gender-neutral
language. Unfortunately, meddling with Scripture alters its meaning; as for
instance when you replace “masculine singular” references in the psalms with a
plural “they,” as <a href="https://biblehub.com/psalms/1-1.htm">some
translations</a> do, and destroy the reader’s ability to recognize <span class="MsoHyperlink">prophesies</span> of Christ. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Politically-correct babel is isolating. Writer
Stella Morabito <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="https://thefederalist.com/2015/06/08/how-to-escape-the-age-of-mass-delusion/">says</a></span>
that “as our speech becomes more restricted, we end up more separated from one
another,” because “political correctness is primarily a tool for crushing
people’s ability to have open conversations in friendship and mutual respect.”<br /> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">We are tempted, of course, to think this
is a problem for other people—a snare for the woke and the sinful.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">But what if God is doing this? On purpose?
What if we are looking at the judgement of a righteous God? We, too, are part
of this generation, and we, too, are sinners. We demonstrate nothing but our
own hardness of heart when we respond with self-righteous resentment against
our progressive neighbors for messing up the nice world good people like
ourselves “deserve” to have. We aren’t as different from pharaoh as we think.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Our response to Babel ought to be
repentance.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">God hardened pharaoh’s heart, and there
was no happy ending. Yet He is also merciful. We are facing the darkness of a
new Babel, but perhaps this actually <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">is</i>
the mercy of God for us, because by it we are reminded of our need for the
Light who shone in the darkness.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">We are people of words. We can use our
words to pray, to preach, to teach, to repent, to echo “Amen.” We can do all
that because language does not depend on sinners like us for its meaning. The
Word of the Lord endures forever. He will bring us scattered, lonely humans into
that last day when we—like Adam and Eve in the garden—will see God face to face
and know Him fully. To that we say, “Amen.”</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">***</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIV0hS5VhrJ3l8fMryPiZvG-IPSFg1Ev0aI0x-g4AFGPxewv-wP8c0O3R8ACQshCasYa8yn-cygRJdYcpdJtqPmO8-r8iz0qb5XnC_ddg-8ed6Ycmj6xJZSw64989YEEVIsPyMXteQM4k/s1001/Mussmann+Anna.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1001" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIV0hS5VhrJ3l8fMryPiZvG-IPSFg1Ev0aI0x-g4AFGPxewv-wP8c0O3R8ACQshCasYa8yn-cygRJdYcpdJtqPmO8-r8iz0qb5XnC_ddg-8ed6Ycmj6xJZSw64989YEEVIsPyMXteQM4k/w200-h200/Mussmann+Anna.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">After graduating from Concordia Wisconsin, Anna taught in Lutheran schools for several years. She now homeschools her children during the day and writes in the evening. Anna loves Jane Austen, dark chocolate, and the Oxford comma. She likes to review the books she reads on </span></i><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/17812040-anna-mussmann" style="color: #378ba7; text-decoration-line: none;">Goodreads</a></span></span><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">, and her work can also be found in</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="https://thefederalist.com/author/annamussmann/" style="color: #378ba7; text-decoration-line: none;">The Federalist</a></span>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div></div>
Anna Mussmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11631139113615066986noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196316261585940971.post-52465447683235036312021-02-09T18:09:00.004-08:002021-04-28T10:30:21.989-07:00Why I’m Grateful to My Friends for Cleaning Their Houses<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">By Anna Mussmann</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Domestic coziness is important. I know this. I believe this. However, after my third baby was born, I didn’t much notice what my house was actually like. I was too busy learning how to parent three children instead of two. It didn’t help that the basement flooded and I developed a case of shingles. I was too busy to even <i>see</i> things like, say, dust. My mind had streamlined the word “cleaning” to mean only three things: running the vacuum occasionally, washing the dishes, and telling the kids to tidy their toys. <br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">And for a while, this was OK. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkc3YGoDpW1cbwQI6hPmvDILqXO-oegyYauhyphenhyphenFTkuhNUT04fSiXxTA-n8SDQ62c57GpUcWu2ka-o0f4ldLOSnmEbsReg7WrDelr_wRsYHsKPiCDNR0J__p6waFtxd14B7beAF_5BKiV00/s786/housework+and+guilt+%2527Girl_Sweeping%2527_by_William_McGregor_Paxton%252C_1912+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="786" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkc3YGoDpW1cbwQI6hPmvDILqXO-oegyYauhyphenhyphenFTkuhNUT04fSiXxTA-n8SDQ62c57GpUcWu2ka-o0f4ldLOSnmEbsReg7WrDelr_wRsYHsKPiCDNR0J__p6waFtxd14B7beAF_5BKiV00/w400-h326/housework+and+guilt+%2527Girl_Sweeping%2527_by_William_McGregor_Paxton%252C_1912+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">When the baby was around four months old,
we went on a road trip and stayed with friends. My friends had cleaned. In
their houses, the floors had been washed. The sunlight poured through glossy
windows and lit up well-cared for houseplants. There was a feeling of
spaciousness and comfort in the absence of clutter. It was so restful to be in
those homes. It was beautiful. It made me remember.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The first thing I did at home was to wash
my electric kettle. It’s ceramic with a pretty white and red pattern. I like
the feel of the handle and the swoosh of water when I pour it into a waiting
teacup. It’s basically domestic coziness in itself. The thing is, though, the
outside of my kettle had taken on the orange hue of dozens of forgotten
dinners. You know how it is--little bits of food splash when you’re cooking and
you’re too busy to wipe them off. I hadn’t even noticed the specks before. It
was embarrassing to look around my kitchen with newly opened eyes, but it was
nice to see the kettle look glossy again. <br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">I didn’t have time to scrub the whole
house at once. My baby was still pretty needy and the other kids wanted my
attention, too. However, I had made a start--I had begun to notice things and
to work on them in odd moments. <br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">I’m grateful to my friends for cleaning
their houses. Their hospitality was a wonderful gift; all the more so because
it helped lift me out of whatever survival zone I was in and reminded me that a
clean home is a real thing. A lovely thing. A goal worth working on around,
between, and during the various adventures my children create. <br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">It seems to me that online discussions
about looking after one’s house are a bit like discussions about achieving a
healthy body weight. Both issues ought, on the face of it, to be relatively
simple; but they are instead deeply interwoven with self-worth, pride,
lifestyle choices, guilt, shame, perfectionism, exhaustion, and plain old sin.
They become almost impossible to discuss.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Yet perhaps the idea that we could get
better at cleaning our houses doesn’t have to be a blow to our self-worth. It
doesn’t have to be Law that must be cast off so that we can live in
grace. <br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">It’s true that housekeeping is hard work.
However, I think there are other reasons so many of us have a complicated
relationship with this idea of keeping our homes nice: I think we have
unconsciously soaked in the cultural message that housekeeping isn’t meaningful
and might in fact be oppressive (proof: men do less of it than we do!).
Besides, we find it tough to believe that we actually need to learn a skill set
just for cleaning. After all, how hard is it to scrub a toilet? We forget that
the managerial side of all this--the skill of organizing ourselves into
developing and following an efficient daily system--is something few of us have
learned. We also have too much stuff. <br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">But you know, we don’t have to actually
listen to cultural messages or to live amongst clutter. We live in grace, and
we are free to seek out the blessing of new skills and new ways of doing
things. It is a blessing, not a burden, to have a pretty tea kettle to clean.
It is a blessing to have friends who clean their homes and invite us in. It is
a blessing to scrub the floor for our own families. <br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">In her book <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/759081.Keeping_House">Keeping House:
The Litany of Everyday Life</a> Margaret Kim Peterson writes, “Time
deliberately set aside for keeping house is never just about ‘making a home for
my family.’ Of course housework is about making a home, but a Christian home,
properly understood, is never just for one’s own family. A Christian home
overflows its boundaries; it is an outpost of the kingdom of God, where the
hungry are fed and the naked are clothed and there is room enough for
everyone.” <br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">She points out that the “hungry” and
“naked” people Jesus talks about serving aren’t necessarily strangers.
“Housework is all about feeding and clothing and sheltering people who, in the
absence of that daily work, would otherwise be hungry and ill-clad and
ill-housed. There is undoubtedly more to the merciful service that Jesus
describes in Matthew 25 than caring for the daily needs of the members of our
own households. Housework is a beginning, not an end. But it is a
beginning--not a sidetrack, not a distraction, but a beginning, and an
essential one at that--in the properly Christian work of, among other things,
meeting the everyday needs of others.”<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">I am thankful for the beginning I have
been able to make. That is why I am grateful to my friends for cleaning their
houses. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">***</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDfB9rJCxr8S5QIdY0OTzif1rGZHwz31UVX0EHuWJSJ_GDidzhMJoy32EbpudB2JY-wSV943vpRfpmgETgfMj40BBj1dlGPoGyVEh_EHxag-CTMC5CS5qARIMYRhoIjbZltaCmyDuPKms/s1001/Mussmann+Anna.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1001" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDfB9rJCxr8S5QIdY0OTzif1rGZHwz31UVX0EHuWJSJ_GDidzhMJoy32EbpudB2JY-wSV943vpRfpmgETgfMj40BBj1dlGPoGyVEh_EHxag-CTMC5CS5qARIMYRhoIjbZltaCmyDuPKms/w200-h200/Mussmann+Anna.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">After graduating from Concordia Wisconsin,
Anna taught in Lutheran schools for several years. She now homeschools
her children during the day and writes in the evening. Anna loves Jane Austen,
dark chocolate, and the Oxford comma. She likes to review the books she reads
on </span></i><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/17812040-anna-mussmann">Goodreads</a></span></span><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">,
and her work can also be found in</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="https://thefederalist.com/author/annamussmann/">The
Federalist</a></span>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></p></div>
Anna Mussmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11631139113615066986noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196316261585940971.post-41404609224038681082021-01-20T17:03:00.003-08:002021-04-28T10:30:52.237-07:00Praying for My Children--and All the Baptized<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">By
Molly Barnett<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Becky
Eminger’s post about <a href="https://www.sisterdaughtermotherwife.com/2020/12/what-i-want-for-christmas.html">her
wish for Christmas</a> struck my heart sharply. She reminded me to pray for all
of God’s baptized children as often as possible. She also presented the
difficult truth that, as a parent, I do not have control over my son’s gift of
faith.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
admit that this was a tough pill to swallow for a new mother of a young child
with another on the way. What I can do is follow her wise example and that of
many faithful Christian parents, and dutifully teach my son God’s ways by
taking him to church every Sunday, practicing devotions as a family at home,
praying with him, and letting him witness my own shortcomings that need
Christ’s daily forgiveness.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
rest is truly the doings of the Holy Spirit as I fervently pray He keeps my
young son, a toddler, in the one true saving faith and into life everlasting.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">While
I grieve with her and any parent of adult children who have lost them, either
momentarily or permanently, to the world, I am also humbled at witnessing the
gift of faith in the littlest among us.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKXnvXUPdpH5eQMY7_ALlF-a7xImzQYqgiXKfv1vmouvmR4rlOlale5KmSLbsTbWDXcquoOn5mk-3jXCVoQdUrdTkpoRfKSSgbG30JeitsXCliVgpnvx0B6DwlcK7OVYH7k2O3gD1oinMn/s705/w+Kalckreuth_Children_by_the_Christmas_tree.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="705" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKXnvXUPdpH5eQMY7_ALlF-a7xImzQYqgiXKfv1vmouvmR4rlOlale5KmSLbsTbWDXcquoOn5mk-3jXCVoQdUrdTkpoRfKSSgbG30JeitsXCliVgpnvx0B6DwlcK7OVYH7k2O3gD1oinMn/w400-h340/w+Kalckreuth_Children_by_the_Christmas_tree.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">As
a Lutheran, I rejoice at the gift of infant baptism and the faith which springs
from it and grows as the child is instructed in God’s Word. The moment between
Mary and her cousin Elizabeth, both with child, enters my mind with this topic.<br />
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Mary
journeys to her cousin in Judah, and upon entering the home and greeting those
within, John leaps within Elizabeth’s womb! <a href="https://biblehub.com/luke/">Luke’s
Gospel</a> informs us, “And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she
exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the
fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord
should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears,
the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there
would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.’ ”<br /> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">As
I am pregnant now with my second child and regularly feel her vibrant motions,
I can only begin to imagine the excitement Elizabeth felt when her son
physically reacted within her to the Lord’s presence within Mary. I ought to
meditate on these verses more often. Aren’t they beautiful?<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> <br /> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Now
that my son is a year and a half old and has heard daily prayers and weekly
attends Divine Service with us, a sweet glimmer of his young faith seems to be
shining. Almost daily, he will find our home hymnal, the Lutheran Service Book
used in church, flip through the pages and “sing.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <br /> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">He
cannot utter distinguishable words of prayer nor praise, but he, in his own
way, is doing what he witnesses of the living saints. He knows that this
special book is for singing, and he uses it as such, and boy, is it adorable.
Not only is it precious to see him mimicking what he has seen, but it is also a
picture of faith in God’s smallest children. They too, we confess, have faith
in Him and believe though not able to confess with their lips quite yet. He did
not need me to carve out a spot in the day to sing to God. He saw the hymnal,
knew its purpose, and responded willingly. I cannot say for certain, but perhaps
it is the Holy Spirit working within him. It is certainly possible.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Of
course I want to gush over this ritual and claim some sort of pious credit of
influence, but that is exactly what I ought not to do.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">If
Luther is right in the explanation to the Third Article of the Apostle’s Creed
that “I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or
come to him, but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel,” then how much
more applicable is this notion to that of someone else’s faith! Instead of
gazing upon my son’s budding faith as the fruit of MY works, I need to change
my posture by giving thanks to the giver of faith!<br /> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">It
is not for us to know the mysteries of God apart from what He tells us in
Scripture. Therefore, it is certainly not for us to judge the faithful parents
of children who reject the faith in their adulthood.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh are very real forces working against
God’s good work. Let us then turn to God for constant guidance in raising our children
in all stages of their lives and seek His mercy. Let us not take credit if our
children grow into faithful adults who regularly and joyfully attend church
services. Let us give thanks for the gift of faith imparted to us in our
baptism by the Holy Spirit and pray without ceasing for the little and big
children of God.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">***</span></div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFBHXVxAtn1KC9aeslW9wkuCRaP3MQNT8LYMva0rAdVXbW2M4-CeBkzYKlf5K31qXVRAuf7kB8g0iMyBW8dAf3LJoylgkkn84RxhH41OR-Y9s66IGZpXNzg_FGOlhVHhSHLe5z171uGxUe/s426/Leithart%252C+Molly+%25282%2529.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="403" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFBHXVxAtn1KC9aeslW9wkuCRaP3MQNT8LYMva0rAdVXbW2M4-CeBkzYKlf5K31qXVRAuf7kB8g0iMyBW8dAf3LJoylgkkn84RxhH41OR-Y9s66IGZpXNzg_FGOlhVHhSHLe5z171uGxUe/w189-h200/Leithart%252C+Molly+%25282%2529.jpg" width="189" /></a></div>Molly Barnett
lives with her husband and son in Alexandria, Virginia where they are members
of Immanuel Lutheran Church. Before becoming a mother, she taught fourth grade
for six years at the classical Immanuel Lutheran School. She holds a B.A. in
English from The Ohio State University and an M.A. in liberal arts from St.
John's College in Annapolis, Maryland. Her favorite activities these days
include walking outside with her family, playing the piano, and competing
against her husband in various board games.</span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Image <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kalckreuth_Children_by_the_Christmas_tree.jpg">source</a>.</span></span></div>
Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08505118167123386734noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196316261585940971.post-79363470300875296932020-12-10T11:21:00.006-08:002021-04-28T10:31:24.664-07:00What I Want for Christmas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">By Becky Eminger</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN8WHRMCX9jQyOzzWAGdA2FjuHjp9CKHiGmz8RJuPL6HRk8CUKojga-OEDwJLkmbG0-4FDNoKD1UrdxwcfCtPQzY0Xuty30tZDK9PQjqr61Du2hBZYwQvbLRC5k9YJhtdDkY61z2eG_L0/s1280/christmas-1142016_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="850" data-original-width="1280" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN8WHRMCX9jQyOzzWAGdA2FjuHjp9CKHiGmz8RJuPL6HRk8CUKojga-OEDwJLkmbG0-4FDNoKD1UrdxwcfCtPQzY0Xuty30tZDK9PQjqr61Du2hBZYwQvbLRC5k9YJhtdDkY61z2eG_L0/w400-h265/christmas-1142016_1280.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">It
was never my plan to hope and pray that my children would be Christmas and Easter
church attenders, or "C & E’s," as they are sometimes called. And yet, as we
prepare for Advent, this is indeed my prayer. I am as surprised by this as
anyone! Sure, they could hear the Gospel anytime, but they do not make the
time or effort. But at Christmas and Easter, an opportunity opens for many to
step into God’s house, His love, and His redemptive Gospel.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
had never heard of the term "C & E" until a few years ago. In a
planning meeting for upcoming church events at our former church, one of the
staff members made the offhand remark that we would need to plan for the C
& E’s showing up. This was said with sneer and a roll of the eyes.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
had to ask what C & E meant. The person replied, “You know, the
people who only bother to show up on Christmas and Easter.”</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Ah.
It appeared C & E’s were nowhere as good as regular church attendees. I did
not give this concept much thought, nor did I bother to question or defend the
C & E’s in our church.</span></div><p>
</p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Until
now.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">My
husband and I never thought our children would leave the church. We had
them baptized shortly after birth, went with them to church and Sunday School
each Sunday, held family devotions, read Bible lessons, prayed with them, and
sent them to Lutheran day school. It never occurred to us they would
leave the church altogether.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">But
they did leave. There are reasons or excuses, depending on your
viewpoint. None of that matters much; only the consequences of their
choice matters.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Now
that they are adults, the only influence we have is prayer and the example of
how we live our faith. While we enjoy a loving, close relationship with our kids; faith in Christ remains the one topic they either avoid or shut down with the statement that they do not believe anything they were taught. Subject closed. Talking about it?
Not on the table at this point. Attending church? They avoid it studiously by planning to be busy on Sundays when we are together.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">There
is no promise any of them will be in church with us on Christmas Eve, but we
pray that they will come to hear, once again, God’s great love for us and
His plan for our salvation.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Is
it because we want the warm, fuzzy feelings of being together in church? Do we
want to give off the image of being the perfect, happy family?<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">No
and no. The simple reason they need to be in church is this: God’s Word has the
power to save.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Romans
10:17 says:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><blockquote>"So faith
comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”</blockquote></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Our
kids, and all C & E’s, need to hear God’s truth. The Holy Spirit can
rekindle their faith in the Triune God. Like the bleeding woman whose faith
led her to touch the fringe of Jesus’ garment, we trust that hearing the Gospel
at Christmas has incomprehensible power.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Isaiah
55:10-11 tells us:<br /></span><b><sup><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></sup></b><blockquote><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“For as the rain
and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the
eater,<b><sup> </sup></b><i>so shall my word be that goes out from my
mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which
I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.</i>”</span></blockquote><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">And
so, we pray, not only for our beloved children and grandchildren, but for all
the C & E’s who will be in church, who will be bathed in the saving words
of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We pray fervently that their hearts be open,
that their faith be restored. <br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">And
it can happen! We know God desires all mankind to be saved, and He wants
us to pray for this very thing. 1 Timothy 2:1-6 says:</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">"First
of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and
thanksgivings be made for all people,<b><sup> </sup></b>for kings and all
who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly
and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in
the sight of God our Savior,<b><sup> </sup></b>who desires all
people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.<b><sup> </sup></b>For there
is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Christ
Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony
given at the proper time."</span></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">By
the way, our kids, along with all who have fallen away, are every bit as
precious to God as the regular church attenders. God desires for them to be
saved. If you are concerned for your own loved ones, take heart. God knows and
is delighted to hear our prayers.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">This
year, as you prepare to welcome the newborn King of Kings, please pray for
those who will hear the Gospel, for their open reception of the Word. Pray now
for the pastors who prepare to bring us the Good News of Jesus’ birth.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">And
God willing, our children and grandchildren may be more than casual hearers of
God’s Word. We pray that they would return to their faith and embrace all
the richness of salvation through Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection.
In receiving God’s greatest gift, we can all receive what we most earnestly
desire, that our loved ones would join us one day in Heaven.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Amen,
may it be so!</span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;">***<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbsfppAUdo1FUAb22lOiQaonKDrTQD4r5HOO-pMVKwmy7tp9ZljjpEoIj1oKoDQOwWM6Xju8PBffF-3w_agfRa1qOvSTdLKjwLnWmHWkqIzrVJ-7gOvbBMQhLQWXGdC6bBfhXQIj5lHps/s720/advent+children+unchurched.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="714" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbsfppAUdo1FUAb22lOiQaonKDrTQD4r5HOO-pMVKwmy7tp9ZljjpEoIj1oKoDQOwWM6Xju8PBffF-3w_agfRa1qOvSTdLKjwLnWmHWkqIzrVJ-7gOvbBMQhLQWXGdC6bBfhXQIj5lHps/w198-h200/advent+children+unchurched.webp" width="198" /></a></div><i>Becky is a lifelong, confessional Lutheran child of God. Her vocations include wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, and friend.</i><p></p><p><i>Now retired, she has an AA in education from CUAA and a BA in Family Life Education from Spring Arbor University. Her interests include writing articles and fiction, and creating house and pet portraits in watercolor and colored pencil. Becky and her husband are members of St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Spring Lake, MI.</i></p><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><i><br /></i></div>Anna Mussmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11631139113615066986noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196316261585940971.post-53056606470233544362020-10-30T17:12:00.005-07:002021-04-28T10:32:16.410-07:00Not Normal, But Good<div style="text-align: left;">By Leah Sherman</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQImg5vfobbBGmWz3DXYFKSUHXvVFdcOzKhk5a4velr81JRxpxfihEC4tRZlwVtsSh9wkRczE_5SDmwIKMaX7mMXfHkt_ej1VZY0iAcNdqd51wbmUrYvJEAiGIzUPGFtbNFrBtxU06L54/s600/pandemic+new+normal+C.W._Eckersberg_-_At_a_Window_in_the_Artist%2527s_Studio_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="503" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQImg5vfobbBGmWz3DXYFKSUHXvVFdcOzKhk5a4velr81JRxpxfihEC4tRZlwVtsSh9wkRczE_5SDmwIKMaX7mMXfHkt_ej1VZY0iAcNdqd51wbmUrYvJEAiGIzUPGFtbNFrBtxU06L54/s320/pandemic+new+normal+C.W._Eckersberg_-_At_a_Window_in_the_Artist%2527s_Studio_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Back in January, our lives were busy. Many of us had carefully curated our routines to ensure that every family member was delivered to each appointment, activity, or party in a timely-ish manner. Our schedules were packed so tightly we struggled to fit in one more thing. Parents and children alike were worn out by the end of the day. As mothers, we had little time or energy to consider cooking for our families, so we out-sourced our meals and served them to our children who were strapped in their respective seats in the car, all while moving forward to the next item on the agenda. Perhaps those napkins with charming conversation starters made it into our homes with the best of intentions, but such whimsy requires both people to be present, and substantial time for conversations to become an opportunity to actually learn about one another; neither of which we had in all our rushing around.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Perhaps you enjoyed the hours of school at home alone. You had the time to fold the laundry and mop the floors while watching the shows you enjoyed, or exercise to the music of your choice. Close friends met you at the coffee shop for a chat, and you did your grocery shopping peaceably before collecting the kids and rushing home for dinner and homework and basketball.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Whatever your normal was, odds are, it’s gone. All that we did—playdates, gymnastics, piano lessons, plays, work meetings, hair appointments, dinners out, coffee dates, church—all of it—ended. And we were forced to sit at our own kitchen tables each night with our whimsical napkins trying to cheer us up. <br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Maybe your normal wasn’t quite that. Maybe you had that coveted quiet time between dropping the kids off for school and the commute to work. Your office was a place where you could accomplish tasks without constant interruptions. You enjoyed talking with your coworkers in person and collaborating on projects; and by the end of the day, you left feeling accomplished, and thankful you had friends and family who could keep the kids a couple extra hours so you could meet your deadlines. <br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">All these months later, normal still hasn’t returned. Surely some of our rushing kids around and meeting with coworkers and friends has started again, but it’s still a dim reflection of what we once had, and mostly feels false.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Whatever your normal was, take a moment to consider it. Then,</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;">“consider your place in life according to the Ten Commandments. Are you a father, mother, son, daughter, husband, wife, or worker? Have you been disobedient, unfaithful, or lazy? Have you been hot-tempered, rude, or quarrelsome? Have you hurt someone by your words or deed? Have you stolen, been negligent, wasted anything, or done any harm?” (Luther, Luther’s Small Catechism, “Confession.”)</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Was your normal good?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />I fear the answer for many of us must be no. It was not all good. And while what we are living through right now is also not very good, our old normal is not something we ought to desire. Much of our life was lived to self alone, and not in love and service to our neighbor. We created a pattern for our lives that left us exhausted and frustrated with the family members God had given us, and while we bemoaned the craziness of our schedules, we saw no way to fix the problems our desire to do and achieve had created. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Our rush and hurry to give our children every opportunity our money could afford often robbed them of the attention they needed from us, their parents. Our inability to communicate with our spouses left us seeking understanding in relationships outside the home, or in the hazy blue-light of our screens. Our obsession with self-fulfillment left us little time to care for those in need in our church or neighborhood. We blamed our kids, our spouses, and our finances for the physical and emotional mess we were in.<br />Yes, consider your place in life. Was your normal good? </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />But also, consider this new normal. Are parts of your new normal good? </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Certainly there are real, exhausting, hair-pulling frustrations with our current situation. There are serious health and financial concerns. We are still yelling and crying and blaming and whining. <br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">But, is there any good? Can there be any good?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Rom. 8:28; ESV)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />In the midst of all the upheaval and confusion, see God at work in your lives. Your spouse, your children, your parents, and your neighbors are gifts from God, and you are being called to serve them in new ways. As you are learning to care for them, look for the ways God is working for good. Perhaps you find you enjoy knowing what your children are taught daily. Perhaps you realize working from home, while challenging, gives you a chance to complete a few extra chores. Perhaps your free time allows for you to write, call, or pray for your friends and family. And perhaps, as those silly napkins of ours are getting a workout like never before, we find that sitting down to a home-cooked meal is something our families have needed, and truly is a good gift from God.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">***</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGGAJLAoArt4gvnTyaQtAX7LFLioc7wDFVD95W_Feb80kXADCwktpUyWpAyb8zFdGiFrTRw37gyURSc9JnxuLWJ6AMreHgNyQd-qy0Fu3SFaj238RYmeGA3t9JHWuptXVceO3jaVH9Akg/s442/Sherman+Leah+square.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="442" data-original-width="442" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGGAJLAoArt4gvnTyaQtAX7LFLioc7wDFVD95W_Feb80kXADCwktpUyWpAyb8zFdGiFrTRw37gyURSc9JnxuLWJ6AMreHgNyQd-qy0Fu3SFaj238RYmeGA3t9JHWuptXVceO3jaVH9Akg/w200-h200/Sherman+Leah+square.jpg" width="200" /></a></div></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i>Leah Sherman is a pastor's wife and homeschooling mother. She and her husband have struggled with secondary infertility, but are constantly reminded of God's great blessings through their son. She lives in Gordon, Nebraska, and enjoys reading, gardening, and sewing.</i></span></p><br /><div><br /></div>Anna Mussmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11631139113615066986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196316261585940971.post-59221955212004937412020-09-23T17:39:00.000-07:002020-09-23T17:39:10.147-07:00A Backwards Way to Pray (and Why It's Often Better)<p> <span style="font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">by Heather Smith</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-56c53216-7fff-17b6-728c-527bd9340518"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">From my quasi-Baptist upbringing I absorbed many assumptions about prayer. Some of them were admirable, and some questionable. I was indoctrinated that God cares about all aspects of our life (He does) and we should therefore submit all our worries to Him in prayer (we should). Various devotional programs emphasized setting aside daily time for prayer (a wise discipline that was unfortunately doled out as Law rather than Gospel). But perhaps more than anything else, I was taught that prayer must come from the heart. A spontaneous flow of ineloquent ramblings was the sure sign of sincerity, and I was actually cautioned against written prayers since these ostensibly could not reflect the genuine desires of the speaker’s heart. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">However, the more years I am steeped in Lutheran liturgy and practice, the more I come to appreciate written prayers, particularly the collects of the Church. Far from leading me into a cold, rote faith, I find they direct my heart to Scriptural truths that I would otherwise overlook. Whereas the type of prayer I was taught as a child identifies </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">my</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> worries, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">my</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> needs, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">my</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> desires and asks God to fix these problems, the ancient prayers of the Church work backwards. They ask God to give us what we pray for—by fixing how we pray. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This struck me powerfully in the historic collect for the Ninth Sunday after Trinity: </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Let Your merciful ears, O Lord, be open to the prayers of Your humble servants; and that they may obtain their petitions, make them to ask such things as shall please You . . .”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What a radical prayer! My heartfelt spontaneous prayers would certainly never stumble upon the idea of setting aside the requests I have in mind and instead petitioning God to make me ask for better things. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">However, once I recognized this through-the-looking-glass view in one collect, I began to see it week after week:</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Almighty and everlasting God, always more ready to hear than we to pray and to give more than we either desire or deserve, pour down upon us the abundance of Your mercy, forgiving those things of which our conscience is afraid and giving us those good things that we are not worthy to ask, except through the merits and mediation of Christ our Lord . . .”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (Eleventh Sunday after Trinity)</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Almighty and everlasting God, give us an increase of faith, hope, and charity; and that we may obtain what You have promised, make us love what You have commanded . . .”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity)</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“O God because without You we are not able to please You, mercifully grant that Your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts . . .” </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity)</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Give us the things we are not wise enough to request. Grant us true good by making us love Your commandments. Change us so that we may love You rightly. Week after week in the historic liturgy of the Church we pray for God’s merciful correction of our truly backwards hearts. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Moreover, it is not simply the ancient Church who believes this is the right way to pray. It is our Lord Himself. As Luther explains so simply in the Small Catechism, more than half the Lord’s Prayer asks for things that God would give us anyway: God’s name is certainly holy in itself. The kingdom of God comes by itself without our prayer. The good and gracious will of God is done even without our prayer. God certainly gives daily bread to everyone, even to all evil people, without our prayer. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Why, then, does our Lord urge us to pray for these things? It is so that we might learn to recognize the wondrous works He does among us. Far more wondrous than healing from disease or averting financial ruin or blessing with a job is the primary work of the Triune God. Namely, to strengthen and keep us firm in His Word and faith until we die. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Left to its own devices, my heart wants to brush aside this miracle. “Yes, yes, I know Jesus died to save me from sin, and that is the most important thing but, God, what I really need right now is . . .” And so our Facebook feeds fill with urgent prayer requests for ourselves and those we know, sick acquaintances or bereaved friends, and it is so easy to offer a glib response of “praying!” or an emoji of folded hands. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Certainly, Scripture commends prayer for those who are ill or troubled (James 5:13-15), but what should be the content of the prayer we offer? If we simply ask God to provide physical healing, do we not sell short His magnificent mercy and power? In prayer we are speaking to the very God who became incarnate, suffered unimaginable tortures, conquered the power of sin, and freely shares His victory over death with us. Of course He can provide bodily health, but the life He most desires for us is far greater than an extension of our sin-ridden earthly years. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So He teaches us to pray “Thy will be done.” Those four humble words are our passport through the looking glass into the realm of right prayer. Let us live or die. Grant us health or illness. Give us what we ask or withhold it. But this one thing we must have, dear Lord: We must have You. You, Lord Jesus, are our true life and salvation, “Our health while we are living, / Our life when we shall die” (“Christ Is the World’s Redeemer, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">LSB </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">539, st. 1). Whether we pray for ourselves or for others, whether spontaneously or from a written prayer book or simply in the words our Lord Himself taught us, let us ever be praying for true faith to cling to Christ our Savior. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yet if our selfish hearts betray us and we in frustration insist upon our own will above God’s, we have great comfort. He gives what we neglect to ask and withholds what we foolishly demand. He is gracious to us, and He turns our backwards hearts around so they may know and adore Him aright. </span></p><div><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHyGTEMuMtwKOXzDG-0JLMlpOY19geqCaXh8JvHGYFervBTvMF5MYVF-jQZHojFJz0QI1bGX88_ZvwJxg7Xwy5K2erBC-QBQOlL5d4re3j1WUaxR-USOXCUUpr8VWxagaxCo9tDTdkfIA/s989/prayer+using+collects+Ludwik_Stasiak_-_Nadzieja.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="989" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHyGTEMuMtwKOXzDG-0JLMlpOY19geqCaXh8JvHGYFervBTvMF5MYVF-jQZHojFJz0QI1bGX88_ZvwJxg7Xwy5K2erBC-QBQOlL5d4re3j1WUaxR-USOXCUUpr8VWxagaxCo9tDTdkfIA/w324-h400/prayer+using+collects+Ludwik_Stasiak_-_Nadzieja.jpg" width="324" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">"Nadzieja" by Ludwik Stasiak (1858-1924)<br />(This image is in the Public Domain)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">***</span></div><div><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><i>Heather is a pastor's wife in rural Illinois, prior to which she was a teacher in a classical Lutheran school in Wyoming and spent time in the Washington, D.C. area working on a master's degree in English. She has an abiding love for reading, baking, deep intellectual conversations, and persistent Lutheran matchmakers.</i></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoRqvC9eLwVdVmSb23gOvqZ7dW-lI07COJ9P86zcPoO3yivMpbBz9Xj6cMonWqpKpupTOnEF2zG7gH_3xcPobyf3cp-UCMs4yOHf4UOLzYDnrPJ5XXUTmLipF5vJeKAzwh3eHpDJ6kqEA/s200/Judd+heather+bnw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoRqvC9eLwVdVmSb23gOvqZ7dW-lI07COJ9P86zcPoO3yivMpbBz9Xj6cMonWqpKpupTOnEF2zG7gH_3xcPobyf3cp-UCMs4yOHf4UOLzYDnrPJ5XXUTmLipF5vJeKAzwh3eHpDJ6kqEA/w200-h200/Judd+heather+bnw.jpg" width="200" /></a></div></span></div></span>Anna Mussmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11631139113615066986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196316261585940971.post-22957486545466651112020-04-22T08:30:00.005-07:002020-06-12T03:33:35.455-07:00"Faithful Neighbors, and the Like."<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHTXb7IDjS85ruFATXjax87sAN_jf2Zu3j9ih00baRHNaR4Xl8f7dptKQKzkrbFa1UHaCGcMjrF2Sisljfg_Ymt2iaZ1TqVvdImVqQ_rseGAO_UbsgwxXhmMefn6a2dHWelvDh1dp03Fc/s1600/good+neighbors+General_store_and_post_office%253D.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="422" data-original-width="800" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHTXb7IDjS85ruFATXjax87sAN_jf2Zu3j9ih00baRHNaR4Xl8f7dptKQKzkrbFa1UHaCGcMjrF2Sisljfg_Ymt2iaZ1TqVvdImVqQ_rseGAO_UbsgwxXhmMefn6a2dHWelvDh1dp03Fc/w400-h211/good+neighbors+General_store_and_post_office%253D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">By Molly Barnett</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Over
a month ago, before our state imposed stay-at-home laws, my husband and I
heard a knock at the kitchen door as we relaxed on the couch after our son went
to bed. Slightly rattled by the unexpected greeting, I gingerly walked to the
door, and cautiously gazed out the window only to see our neighbor smiling and
waving on the other side of the glass. In that moment I simply had to laugh at
my previous suspicion and realized with embarrassment who I had become in this
age of texting. What once upon a time had been an expected sound at the door,
had become a surprise! Long story short, our neighbor had simply stopped by to
ask if we needed anything from the store, which then led to him spending a
little over an hour with us in our living room, conversing delightedly and
reciting poems we have memorized. Yes, you read that correctly--poetry! God has
been too good to us in terms of who we have as physical neighbors. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">So
then I began thinking about the gift of good neighbors as Luther explains in
the fourth <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">petition:</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Give
us this day our daily bread. What is meant by daily bread? Daily bread includes
everything that has to do with the support and needs of the body, such as food,
drink, clothing, shoes, house, home, land, animals, money, goods, a devout
husband or wife, devout children, devout workers, devout and faithful rulers,
good government, good weather, peace, health, self-control, good reputation,
good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">According
to this list of daily bread, we have been blessed immeasurably! Thus, I have
been pondering the gift of good neighbors and the calling we have to act as
faithful ones to those around us. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
met these neighbors by pure coincidence almost one year ago. With my
eight-day-old son in arms, I took a short stroll outside around the courtyard
and ran into my neighbor who greeted me kindly, which led to introductory
remarks. Following interactions then led to a friendship of families. These are
the neighbors for whom we pray in the fourth petition. The wife and mother of
two used to hold weekly soup lunches for her other friends who are mothers with
children, and I witnessed her selfless hospitality extended to all of us week
after week. These simple gatherings allowed all of us mothers to share the
happenings in our lives and often seek advice on child-rearing. In addition to
these social gatherings, our neighbors freely lent us their high chair for our
son to use, toys, diapers when I suddenly ran out and needed one immediately,
and other odds and ends. I knew then and still know that if I reach out with a
need, they will respond to lend a helping hand. In many more ways, they have
taught us how to be faithful neighbors.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">So
what do “good neighbors” look like now in this time of isolation? We as
Christians are called to remain faithful neighbors in all times. At the least,
we can utilize the wise use of our phones and technology to remain in contact.
A simple, “how are you today?” might be just what our neighbors need. A good
dose of human creativity seems to be on the rise where we live. Many neighbors
in the community are engaging in a “teddy bear hunt” wherein participants place
teddy bears in their windows for walkers to seek and find. This little game has
become a delightful ray of sunshine in an otherwise cloudy atmosphere. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Although
these little acts may help lift our neighbors’ downcast spirits, we ought to
continue praying fervently for them as well. In fact, as Christians, that is
arguably the best way to be a faithful neighbor. “How are you? How can I pray
for you?” we might ask. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
continue to pray for the health of this nation and hope that once the
restrictions are lifted, we might return to acting as faithful neighbors in a
more physical way by picking up groceries, knocking on doors to say hello,
helping repair broken belongings, and watching one another’s children. For now,
and always, let us continue lifting our prayers to our Heavenly Father to grant
us faithful neighbors and help us be them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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***</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCdfMdM_VFZA_LfbBS3eplFM0ykV1GvRYO3a1n7ZDmyroCxs9fP-HheNq1OMDWdvYbsGsc-wV3rsQbimmk8DFuCaSKr8eNL8wGwN5kAr0IhP42mqPsewqQ8xwE8mBwAlV393ce6MDTzTk/s1600/Leithart%252C+Molly+%25282%2529.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="403" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCdfMdM_VFZA_LfbBS3eplFM0ykV1GvRYO3a1n7ZDmyroCxs9fP-HheNq1OMDWdvYbsGsc-wV3rsQbimmk8DFuCaSKr8eNL8wGwN5kAr0IhP42mqPsewqQ8xwE8mBwAlV393ce6MDTzTk/s200/Leithart%252C+Molly+%25282%2529.jpg" width="188" /></a><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;">Molly Barnett lives with her husband and son in Alexandria, Virginia where they are members of Immanuel Lutheran Church. Before becoming a mother, she taught fourth grade for six years at the classical Immanuel Lutheran School. She holds a B.A. in English from The Ohio State University and an M.A. in liberal arts from St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland. Her favorite activities these days include walking outside with her family, playing the piano, and competing against her husband in various board games. </i><br />
<i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><br /></i>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Image <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:General_store_and_post_office_24943v.jpg">source</a>.</span></span></div>
Anna Mussmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11631139113615066986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196316261585940971.post-761530833375842672020-04-14T08:00:00.000-07:002020-04-14T10:23:34.193-07:00Memorization for Moms (and Other Busy Ladies)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLqSdxZe1yW7UWv3l7bEYntOGxTPJMm2-1si_R0v_2DUIsYBRFQ3cXH8VA8K68f-tTbC-_16e_c3YtRAR5uvBTVW3k00atDKcS-oljRuG07CDnPOFrzWT1H4un0IUYV43Oe_EN40PKlB4/s1600/756px-The_grey_children.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="756" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLqSdxZe1yW7UWv3l7bEYntOGxTPJMm2-1si_R0v_2DUIsYBRFQ3cXH8VA8K68f-tTbC-_16e_c3YtRAR5uvBTVW3k00atDKcS-oljRuG07CDnPOFrzWT1H4un0IUYV43Oe_EN40PKlB4/s400/756px-The_grey_children.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">By Heather Judd</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Gradually
I am learning how much more pleasant life is when we embrace the present season
rather than covet the blessings of the past or the future. This includes
not coveting how my neighbor seems to be in the same season of life and yet
accomplishing so much more than I can manage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My selfish heart is so very good at seeing the blessings I <i>don’t </i>have
and the crosses I <i>do</i> while ignoring the good I would miss and the pains
I would suffer if circumstances differed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In
my present season of baby-raising, I could make a long list of things I am not
currently accomplishing: learning German, reading epic poems, sewing
adorable toddler toys, staying abreast of the news, writing regularly, let
alone keeping the kitchen floor free of crumbs and yogurt splotches.
However, I have found that this is a very good season of life for something
with a different sort of value:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>memorizing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
stumbled my way into memorization through sleepless nights with a colicky
infant, but as I have incorporated it into the rhythms of my days, I have come
to appreciate how wholesome it is for mind and spirit. In the interest of
encouraging others to share the refreshment of memorization, I offer some of
the practicalities I have learned.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Memorize
for Meditation</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">As
grammar students of all ages can attest, memorization <i>can </i>be a stressful
drudgery, but it needn’t be. You, dear friend, are not a pupil under the
tutelage of a demanding taskmaster, and your goal is to memorize not for
Friday’s recitation grade but for life. Memorize for life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is the key to refreshing, meditative
memorization.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Since
we are memorizing for life, we will choose to memorize things that we can love,
treasure, and admire until our dying breath. Scripture, but also the
Catechism, the creeds, hymns, collects and other prayers, as well as poetry
that delights your heart are all eminently suitable. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">So
much to memorize! If your impulse is to scribble a list and make a
schedule or plan, please stop. Simply start with something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An excellent course is to pick up a hymn or a
section of the Catechism that you sort of know but want truly to learn by
heart. The rapid results of a little study on such a thing are very
encouraging. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Have
the Right Materials</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Every
home should have a Bible, a Catechism, a hymnal, books of poetry . . . and none
of these beautiful bound books is conducive to studying for memorization.
Set them open on your kitchen counter while preparing dinner, and the gravy
will assuredly slop onto their lovely pages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Nor are they handy to haul around in the stroller or diaper
bag. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Instead,
opt for thin, small, replaceable options. My memorization of the
Catechism benefited greatly from the booklet format “A Simple Explanation of
Christianity.” Your church may have these available, or they can be
purchased <a href="https://www.cph.org/p-31941-A-Simple-Explanation-of-Christianity-Pack-of-20.aspx">through
CPH</a>. Raid your Sunday bulletins for printed copies of collects,
Scriptures, hymns, or the like. I gleefully saved this past year’s
Reformation bulletin, which had all the hymns of Divine Service Setting 5
printed out. Sometimes copying or typing out things you wish to memorize
provides the handy format you need.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For
Lent I typed out the words to a slew of Lenten hymns so that I had my own
little study booklet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Don’t
Set a Schedule</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Remember,
we are memorizing for life. Although schedules and deadlines may have
motivational power, they also have the power of guilt if not strictly
obeyed. Of course, you may choose to focus on some particular piece of
memorization before you will move on to others, but remove the stress of
planning to finish it by a certain date.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">It
really is possible for memorization to be soothing, not stressful. Let
your memory work be a comfortable companion, whose presence you will enjoy for
the rest of life. You wouldn’t set a deadline by which you must form a
friendship with another person, and you surely know that a few dear friends are
worth more than a host of shallow friendships. So what if you only manage
to memorize one of the Catechism’s six Chief Parts in an entire year?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That little addition to your personal “word
hoard” is now your treasure forever.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Connect
to Common Activities</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">While
schedules and deadlines may not be helpful, regularity is. Ironically,
the way I’ve found to make memorization restful in the busyness of motherhood
is to tie it to other activities rather than giving it dedicated time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
first began re-memorizing the Catechism during the long months when my infant
son was waking every one to two hours all night long. I was exhausted,
and yet I struggled to fall back asleep after each nighttime waking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Somehow in my haze I struck upon the method
of mentally reciting the Catechism while listening to the whir of the white
noise machine. Made it to the Sixth Commandment last time before falling
asleep?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then pick up with the Seventh
this time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">As
my knowledge of the Commandments solidified, I wanted to review the other Chief
Parts, but those needed more work. I put up a bulletin board above the
changing table, and at every diaper change I worked on a portion of the
Catechism posted there. To this display, I added a hymn or two that I
could sing to my son before bed or upon waking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>With a little intention and a lot of repetition, these too made their
way into my memory. Currently, I work on memory while taking stroller
walks, which has the added benefit of making my exercise time pass more pleasantly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Find
the activities and times that work for you. Post your current memory
piece by the kitchen sink or the stove. Tape it to the vacuum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Store it into the laundry basket.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Place it in a Ziploc bag in the
shower. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Make
It Stick Like Velcro</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
ancient Romans were fond of the maxim “repetition is the mother of
memory.” It is certainly true that memorization requires repetition, but
mindless repetition is not enough. You need memory hooks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These are the specific little details that
you note to keep your mind in the right place as you recite. Find enough
of them, and the words will stick to your mind like Velcro.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Most
things worth memorizing have built-in memory hooks. The rhyme of poetry
or the Trinitarian structure of creeds are simple examples. Perhaps some
alliteration catches your eye, or you might note the parallel construction in a
hymn stanza or the logical narrative which a group of stanzas follows.
Other times, some particular phrase will just strike you and become a personalized
memory hook.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Repeat,
Review, and Rest</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">If
memorization is a completely new foray for you, it may seem daunting.
However, regardless of experience or inexperience, the truth is that we all
start the same way. Begin with a small portion, such as one hymn stanza
or Scripture verse, and study it phrase by phrase. As the days turn to
weeks, you can add more while also reviewing what you have learned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Somewhere in the months beyond, you can
establish a comfortable rhythm between recitation and new memory work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Deep
memorization consists of several distinct steps. The initial learning is
usually nothing more than rote back-and-forth between reading and repeating
aloud. Next comes the process of trying to recite, while stopping to
check and correct as needed. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once most
of the errors and gaps are eliminated, there must be a certain amount of
deliberate repetition to reinforce memory. Finally, the piece is truly
learned by heart, and you may recite it as your own with restful
confidence. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
loveliness of these steps is that they require differing amounts and types of
attention, thus lending themselves to differing situations and states of mental
vigor or fatigue. I can always work on reinforcing memory while cleaning
the bathroom, but learning something new is better done when I can have the
written copy at hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On a day when my
mind is cloudy with angst, I may simply soothe it by reciting stores from my
learned-by-heart treasury. When I am feeling more brisk, I may push my
mind up several of the more rigorous steps in one session. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">This
brings us back to the importance of meditative memorization. In the early
steps, your contemplation of the words will help you find your memory
hooks. As you review, your mind will be able to ponder the text in even
greater detail, sometimes finding insights in what had previously seemed
mundane phrases. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Yet,
there will also be those moments when you straighten up from wiping oatmeal
blobs off the floor only to realize you’ve just recited an entire psalm without
paying one ounce of attention to its meaning. Fear not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Simply move on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There will be time enough for meditation at
some other opportunity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After all, you
are memorizing for life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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***</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlqoO_LxTl4q1FP_2oUuli-X1oXao2ltaTEULAn8fPZ-f-LhbRgoMYU3CY_IJBGapypoZiPTBePMOYI50_DbvmVjDZPVU1vZqsr6BPR8vEVBP3BOND2EOthU_dPjNLRx-GkvO0WtSQdsQ/s1600/Judd+heather+bnw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlqoO_LxTl4q1FP_2oUuli-X1oXao2ltaTEULAn8fPZ-f-LhbRgoMYU3CY_IJBGapypoZiPTBePMOYI50_DbvmVjDZPVU1vZqsr6BPR8vEVBP3BOND2EOthU_dPjNLRx-GkvO0WtSQdsQ/s1600/Judd+heather+bnw.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Heather is a pastor's wife in rural Illinois, prior to which she was a teacher in a classical Lutheran school in Wyoming and spent time in the Washington, D.C. area working on a master's degree in English. She has an abiding love for reading, baking, deep intellectual conversations, and persistent Lutheran matchmakers.</i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Post <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_grey_children.jpg">image</a> is in the public domain. </span></div>
Anna Mussmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11631139113615066986noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196316261585940971.post-32662942365174882642020-04-06T11:35:00.000-07:002020-04-06T11:39:05.640-07:00Paintings for Holy Week: The Life, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus in Art<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD3GzdJ1NYLtNnsVmFoN3Lni_LjGMeO7AGlomQjY_3L27EKDQMWifZlnNuM5KIVdQfVhhJvzA0NxCzQdSqItO4q4NUdBajx47TNBLyAzO49cDPwC4Azj-Y-MmvGLaIVaXD5N02MwyJn7Hr/s1600/22+Caravaggio_-_The_Incredulity_of_Saint_Thomas+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="433" data-original-width="781" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD3GzdJ1NYLtNnsVmFoN3Lni_LjGMeO7AGlomQjY_3L27EKDQMWifZlnNuM5KIVdQfVhhJvzA0NxCzQdSqItO4q4NUdBajx47TNBLyAzO49cDPwC4Azj-Y-MmvGLaIVaXD5N02MwyJn7Hr/s400/22+Caravaggio_-_The_Incredulity_of_Saint_Thomas+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">By
Anna Mussmann</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">One
of the worst things about celebrating Holy Week without the chance to go to
church is how easy it is to lose the sense that our Lord’s death and
resurrection is something we celebrate with all Christians throughout the ages.
Christ died and rose for each of us, yes, but also for all of us. In times of
struggle and suffering, there is great comfort in remembering the cloud of
witnesses who have gone before us and the communion of the saints in which we
join. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">We
are part of the Body of Christ no matter how long we must self-isolate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Our
ability to participate in Holy Week services online is a blessing, of course,
and we can rejoice in hearing God’s Word through that medium. Yet I think it is
also helpful to find other ways to join Christians throughout the ages in
contemplating what our God has done for us. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">That's why I don't want to focus only on modern Sunday School-style crafts this week. M</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">y children and I will be looking at the life of Christ through art.
Painters throughout history have created works that remind us of our Savior’s
acts for us. We will study a variety of paintings from different time
periods--some will help us “review” the life and ministry of Jesus, and others
will provide an opportunity to think more deeply about His suffering and His
triumph over death for us. Looking at Scripture through the eyes of artists
from different times and places is something I find both moving and comforting. I hope you find this “picture study” useful!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Here
are the Resources We Will be Using </span></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5-ZL4VlXHAm1FGFrCScd7dcO3DAdo-9_szqAnc4FpPwwPLOZVojswsIhy-ppyhzATZIGw4rGXFrI3IItFAu3GlJh_wBOvsP_aFXm9jFBh6yPayg7EhUdHipicijLcBob_1tQnx6AlvgAb/s1600/14+Munkacsy_-_Christ_in_front_of_Pilate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1049" data-original-width="1600" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5-ZL4VlXHAm1FGFrCScd7dcO3DAdo-9_szqAnc4FpPwwPLOZVojswsIhy-ppyhzATZIGw4rGXFrI3IItFAu3GlJh_wBOvsP_aFXm9jFBh6yPayg7EhUdHipicijLcBob_1tQnx6AlvgAb/s400/14+Munkacsy_-_Christ_in_front_of_Pilate.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>Slide Show</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’ve
made a Google Slides presentation with art and Scripture. You can </span><a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ZSmMJDfEc8a_tRT7JL4VYFxuQyIdnNsuLIVQhWrNlKQ/edit?usp=sharing" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">access
it here</a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">. Because my children are young and their attention spans are
limited, I’ve chosen only one painting to illustrate each event. Older kids
might benefit from thinking about the differences in the way various painters
have chosen to portray the same stories (for additional paintings see
below). </span></div>
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<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Individual Links to Art</b></div>
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In
case you find it more useful than the Google slides, here are individual links
to suggested paintings (they are on Wikipedia and in the public domain, so you
can download them and arrange them in the form most helpful for your family). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gerard_van_Honthorst_-_Adoration_of_the_Shepherds_(1622).jpg">Jesus’
birth</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Presentation_at_the_Temple_(Georgia,_12th_c.).JPG">Presentation
in the Temple </a>(or <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Paintings_of_the_presentation_of_Jesus_Christ_at_the_Temple#/media/File:Diego_valentin_diaz-presentacion.jpg">additional
option 1</a> or <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Paintings_of_the_presentation_of_Jesus_Christ_at_the_Temple#/media/File:GNM_-_Pr%C3%A4sentation_im_Tempel.jpg">additional
option 2</a>).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_into_Egypt#/media/File:Die_Flucht_nach_Aegypten_(Spitzweg).jpg">Flight
into Egypt </a>(or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_into_Egypt#/media/File:Flight_into_Egypt_-_Capella_dei_Scrovegni_-_Padua_2016.jpg">additional
option</a>).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finding_in_the_Temple#/media/File:Duccio_di_Buoninsegna_-_Disputation_with_the_Doctors_-_WGA06768.jpg">Boy
Jesus in the Temple</a> (or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depiction_of_Jesus#/media/File:Follower_of_Ribera_-_Christ_among_the_Doctors.jpg">additional
option</a>). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Joachim_Patinir_-_The_Baptism_of_Christ_-_Google_Art_Project_2.jpg">Jesus’
Baptism</a> (or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baptism_of_Christ_(Ribera)#/media/File:Jos%C3%A9_de_Ribera_063.jpg">additional
option 1</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depiction_of_Jesus#/media/File:PortAuPrinceMural.jpg">additional
option 2</a>, or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depiction_of_Jesus#/media/File:Trevisani_baptism_christ.JPG">additional
option 3</a>). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ_in_the_Desert#/media/File:Christ_in_the_Wilderness_-_Ivan_Kramskoy_-_Google_Cultural_Institute.jpg">The
temptation in the desert</a> (or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_of_Christ_in_art#/media/File:Duccio_-_The_Temptation_on_the_Mount.jpg">additional
option</a>).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Paintings_of_the_marriage_at_Cana#/media/File:Hieronymus_Francken_III_Hochzeit_zu_Kana.jpg%20https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Paintings_of_the_marriage_at_Cana#/media/File:Julius_Schnorr_von_Carolsfeld_-_The_Wedding_Feast_at_Cana_-_WGA21013.jpg">Miracle
at Cana</a> (or <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Paintings_of_the_marriage_at_Cana#/media/File:Las_bodas_de_Cana_-ig_Nstra_Sra_Angeles_2_izq_fRF1.2.jpg">additional
option</a>). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Peter#/media/File:Duccio_di_Buoninsegna_036.jpg">Calling
Disciples</a> (or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocation_of_the_Apostles#/media/File:Ghirlandaio,_Domenico_-_Calling_of_the_Apostles_-_1481.jpg">additional
option)</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Ministry
of Jesus: Preaching, Miracles, etc. <a href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fichier:Healing_of_the_Blind_Man_by_Jesus_Christ.jpg">This</a>,
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sermon_on_the_Mount#/media/File:Bloch-SermonOnTheMount.jpg">This</a>,
<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Giovanni_Lanfranco_-_Miracle_of_the_Bread_and_Fish_-_WGA12454.jpg">This</a>,
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suffer_little_children_to_come_unto_me#/media/File:Nicolaes_Maes_-_Christ_Blessing_the_Children_-_WGA13814.jpg">This</a>,
<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lucas_Cranach_the_Younger,_Christ_blessing_the_Children,_Erfurt_Angermuseum.jpg">This</a>,
and <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CastingoutMoneyChangers.jpg">This</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/70/Pedro_de_Orrente_-_Entry_into_Jerusalem_-_WGA16701.jpg">Palm
Sunday</a> (or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_of_Christ_in_art#/media/File:Giotto_-_Scrovegni_-_-26-_-_Entry_into_Jerusalem2.jpg">alternative
option</a>). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Leonardo_da_Vinci_(1452-1519)_-_The_Last_Supper_(1495-1498).jpg">Maundy
Thursday</a> (or <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jesus_washing_Peter%27s_feet.jpg">alternative
option</a>). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:El_Greco_-_The_Agony_in_the_Garden_-_WGA10484.jpg">Praying
in Gethsemane</a> (or<a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/Lucas_Cranach_d.%C3%84._%26_Werkstatt_-_Christus_am_%C3%96lberg_%28Museum_Kunstpalast%29.jpg">
alternative option</a>). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4d/The_Taking_of_Christ-Caravaggio_%28c.1602%29.jpg">Jesus’
Arrest</a> (or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Fra_Angelico_020.jpg">alternative
option 1</a> or <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Giotto_-_Scrovegni_-_-31-_-_Kiss_of_Judas.jpg">alternative
option 2</a>). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/Munkacsy_-_Christ_in_front_of_Pilate.jpg">Christ’s
Trial</a> (or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Duccio_di_Buoninsegna_027a.jpg">alternative
option 1</a>, <a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/Duccio_di_Buoninsegna_-_Christ_Before_Pilate_Again_-_WGA06805.jpg">alternative
option 2</a> or <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Munk%C3%A1csy_Ecce_Homo_part.JPG">alternative
option 3</a>). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crucifixion_of_Jesus#/media/File:Cristo_crucificado.jpg">Crucifixion</a>
(or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Christ_Carrying_the_Cross_1580.jpg#/media/File:Christ_Carrying_the_Cross_MET_DP347226.jpg">alternative
option 1</a>).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/Weyden_Deposition.jpg">Burial
of Christ</a> (or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Bloch#/media/File:BurialofChrist_CarlBloch.jpg">alternative
option</a>).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Resurrection:
<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Resurrection_of_Christ_and_Women_at_the_Tomb_by_Fra_Angelico_(San_Marco_cell_8).jpg">This</a>,
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justification_(theology)#/media/File:Fra_Angelico_024.jpg">This</a>,
<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gaudenzio_Ferrari_-_Christ_rising_from_the_Tomb_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg">This</a>,
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Noel-coypel-the-resurrection-of-christ-1700.jpg">This</a>,
<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Victory_over_the_Grave.jpg">This</a>,
and <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:William-Adolphe_Bouguereau_(1825-1905)_-_Le_saintes_femmes_au_tombeau_(1890)_img_2.jpg">This</a>.
And, I suppose, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Caravaggio_-_The_Incredulity_of_Saint_Thomas.jpg">this</a>
too. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Again,
feel free to use <a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ZSmMJDfEc8a_tRT7JL4VYFxuQyIdnNsuLIVQhWrNlKQ/edit?usp=sharing">this
slide show</a> that combines the images with Scripture verses. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Blessings
on your fine art study! I hope these are helpful. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Anna<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBpoJPqUHf37Tl8KC5UTZlXxhY5iMPsZH4hduDysfSk1trP000_DEIP0gOaJK0nCM30EJHKsn2mwGJ4uqzaQOtMHGXQXfoJHIzWyqPWGz0CCDgbdYZ_sbpk2gk8QkSWbIDFnHXMLbR6lBO/s1600/18+Roger+van+der+Weyden_Descent+from+the+cross.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1261" data-original-width="1600" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBpoJPqUHf37Tl8KC5UTZlXxhY5iMPsZH4hduDysfSk1trP000_DEIP0gOaJK0nCM30EJHKsn2mwGJ4uqzaQOtMHGXQXfoJHIzWyqPWGz0CCDgbdYZ_sbpk2gk8QkSWbIDFnHXMLbR6lBO/s400/18+Roger+van+der+Weyden_Descent+from+the+cross.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
***</div>
<br />
<span id="docs-internal-guid-a16f02b7-7fff-e607-b68f-7aaf215489f3"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZtlbCpbUuG1xQ-wYpu7IpRtlzyQAFQgrMtYQ_gFOL4LqrTNe0_769uxTfdm18Vj8KbqBvKi2oco-6NRSzfbkD30C6XQiugOo8us0X0ItoNMobqk26XhZHTAOiTUqQzgetHFXAqt5qSp7W/s1600/Mussmann+Anna.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1001" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZtlbCpbUuG1xQ-wYpu7IpRtlzyQAFQgrMtYQ_gFOL4LqrTNe0_769uxTfdm18Vj8KbqBvKi2oco-6NRSzfbkD30C6XQiugOo8us0X0ItoNMobqk26XhZHTAOiTUqQzgetHFXAqt5qSp7W/s200/Mussmann+Anna.jpg" width="199" /></a></div>
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.5pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><i style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">After graduating from Concordia Wisconsin, Anna taught in Lutheran schools for
several years. She now homeschools her children and writes during
naptime. Anna loves Jane Austen, dark chocolate, and the Oxford comma. She
likes to review the books she reads on </span></i><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/17812040-anna-mussmann">Goodreads</a><i>,
and her work can also be found in</i> <a href="https://thefederalist.com/author/annamussmann/">The Federalist</a>.</span>
</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.5pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">
</span></div>
Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08505118167123386734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196316261585940971.post-14870028132892574992020-03-31T10:03:00.002-07:002020-03-31T10:43:02.188-07:00Why I'm Grateful to be Pregnant During This Pandemic<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVySylnrQ4d-XXa2pc_qvcXp8-FFfbANB6_Y4AJBSXptxWv_S5egIcv-6-9PewcQKpgZkFRKaY2v2BQLWMVxt6GilhCf_AAMrf9m_8EyIPSnJvBax9pEH_LrgS0liw2re_oNsW9wbOyOA/s1600/pregnant+in+pandemic+Wally_Moes_-_Sleeping_baby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="482" data-original-width="690" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVySylnrQ4d-XXa2pc_qvcXp8-FFfbANB6_Y4AJBSXptxWv_S5egIcv-6-9PewcQKpgZkFRKaY2v2BQLWMVxt6GilhCf_AAMrf9m_8EyIPSnJvBax9pEH_LrgS0liw2re_oNsW9wbOyOA/s400/pregnant+in+pandemic+Wally_Moes_-_Sleeping_baby.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
By Anna Mussmann </div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
It’s crazy to see how quickly daily life in America has
been upended in the last few weeks. I’ve seen a few articles that say this is a
terrible time to have a baby. In some ways, I suppose that’s true. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I’m nearly full-term with my fourth child. My midwives
have already announced a number of changes to their practice that leave me
wondering what will happen when I go into labor. In some areas of the country,
hospitals have decided not to allow husbands to be present during labor, and
official recommendations now include separating babies from their mothers
(potentially for a full two weeks) if the mother tests positive for Covid-19 or
even if she simply has flu symptoms. Yikes. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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If it wasn’t for this pregnancy, it would be easier to
hunker down with the comforting thought that this new illness isn’t statistically much of a threat to our family on the individual level [I know that young people can end up on ventilators, but most don't], and that our isolation is
simply an attempt to protect others and to obey the authorities. As it stands,
though, I really, <i>really</i> do not want to catch <i>anything</i> between
now and Baby Mussmann’s birth that might make me cough--the thought of
triggering protocols that would force me to give birth without my husband or my
usual provider, and then possibly to see my baby taken away for testing, is
pretty stressful. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Yet I think that in the long haul, even though
childbearing is simply another term for “hugely increased vulnerability,” it’s
an enormous blessing to be able to view the pandemic and its political and
economic repercussions through the lens of having a baby. Perhaps that’s
because coming to grips with how vulnerable we humans really are is exactly
what a pandemic makes us do. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
There is a magic to a baby. It may be loud and
squinty-eyed, it may scream for no reason, and yet it is perfect. So incredibly
beautiful, so filled with potential, so capable of filling us adults with a
fierce desire to become better human beings. Babies don’t care about most of
the stuff that stresses us out, and that makes them restful company.
Besides, their heads smell nice. Babies help us narrow our focus--onto
them--simply because they exist. At the same time, they pull our attention
forward, beyond ourselves, to the future. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Having babies is a reminder that life is filled with
seasons. When my first child didn’t sleep, it felt unbearable--I hadn’t yet
realized how quickly babies change. When my first two toddlers both cried at
the same time, it was overwhelming--I hadn’t yet witnessed the speed at which
children grow past needing constant attention. <o:p></o:p></div>
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A few years with babies has taught me that the things
which feel big and hard look different in retrospect. It’s not just that
children change, but that facing new challenges has changed me. I, too, am going
through seasons, and coming out different at the other end. I can recognize
that many of the things that were uncomfortable were also good. I am better
able to accept <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ecclesiastes+3%3A1-11%2CSong+of+Solomon+4%3A7-15&version=ESV">the
words</a> of Ecclesiastes:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
For everything there is a season, and a time for every
matter under heaven:<br />
a time to be born, and a time to die;<br />
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;<br />
a time to kill, and a time to heal;<br />
a time to break down, and a time to build up;<br />
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;<br />
time to mourn, and a time to dance;<br />
a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones
together;<br />
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;<br />
a time to seek, and a time to lose;<br />
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;<br />
a time to tear, and a time to sew;<br />
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;<br />
a time to love, and a time to hate;<br />
a time for war, and a time for peace.</blockquote>
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Having babies makes it easier, I think, to accept that
there is also a time to practice the discipline of hopeful patience as we wait and see what happens
next. Just as our lives hold seasons, so too do the experiences of
nations. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Even if our country is entering a period of economic
struggle that may last far longer than the sleepless nights of newborn care,
that doesn’t mean goodness, truth, and beauty are over. Babies help us look
beyond our current experience and to remember that history goes on. We can’t
say for sure what will happen to our children, our children’s children, or
their children, but we can remember that our God’s promises are just as true
for them as for us. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We need not mourn past seasons of prosperity “as those
who have no hope” mourn. We know that sometimes suffering is exactly what we
humans need to recognize our sin, repent, and receive forgiveness. Besides, suffering does not last forever. Eternity,
the answer and fulfillment of all seasons, is yet to come. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Babies are cute and adorable and fill us with love, but they also remind us that we
are vulnerable. Strangely enough that is actually the most comforting thing about them. Their very perfection forces us to realize we will not
be able to save and protect them in the way we wish. We mothers cannot guarantee that
our babies will be safe and happy in this world. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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That's how babies drive us to God. Through our babies and the difficult seasons
they may bring, we are reminded over and over that our hope is found in the
Father who has promised never to leave us, to never forsake us or our children. God’s
love is not seasonal. <o:p></o:p></div>
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That is why even though the world has upended itself and the media is declaring this year a bad one to have a baby, the world and the media do not get the last say. God does. My pregnancy reminds me of that each and every day.<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wally_Moes_-_Sleeping_baby.jpg">Image source. </a></span></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p>
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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***<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIiEIpjYdjH3HCu9v5HFc5O7_o67rBIra3azUDJSYIjpYc8nuU0zzH_-nqhxkA95jF-qqAkjGtJxv0MkfaKRGmt1XuTMwu2K9QAQjkl5s7ic7mgDOtxeCt-0hHG4CCpgz6Zi8d_9rbgcU/s1600/Mussmann+Anna.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1001" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIiEIpjYdjH3HCu9v5HFc5O7_o67rBIra3azUDJSYIjpYc8nuU0zzH_-nqhxkA95jF-qqAkjGtJxv0MkfaKRGmt1XuTMwu2K9QAQjkl5s7ic7mgDOtxeCt-0hHG4CCpgz6Zi8d_9rbgcU/s200/Mussmann+Anna.jpg" width="199" /></a><i>After graduating from Concordia Wisconsin, Anna taught
in Lutheran schools for several years. She now homeschools her children
and writes during naptime. Anna loves Jane Austen, dark chocolate, and the
Oxford comma. She likes to review the books she reads on <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/17812040-anna-mussmann">Goodreads</a>, and her work can also be found in</i> <a href="https://thefederalist.com/author/annamussmann/">The Federalist</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Anna Mussmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11631139113615066986noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196316261585940971.post-79730681339031884542020-03-16T18:27:00.004-07:002020-03-16T18:29:13.992-07:00Resources, Babies, and a Possible Book Club (Off-site Highlights)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
Dear Friends,<br />
<br />
Greetings! It's been a long time since I posted a round-up of links. I don't know if this is a good time or a bad time to resume blogging--things are a little crazy out there right now, aren't they? Perhaps, though, now is just the time to find good stuff to read that ISN'T the news.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>First, a few links related to current events:</b><br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>If you haven't already seen them, do check out <a href="https://blogs.lcms.org/2020/resource-helps-congregations-plan-for-widespread-illnesses/">these encouraging Synodical resources</a> on responding to the novel Coronavirus. </li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>In addition, I couldn't help laughing at Pastor Fiene's "<a href="https://thefederalist.com/2020/03/16/exclusive-interview-with-coronavirus-im-very-proud-of-my-chinese-heritage">interview</a>" with the virus itself (there's some sound theology in his piece right along with the humor). </li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>This list of <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SvIdgTx9djKO6SjyvPDsoGlkgE3iExmi3qh2KRRku_w/preview">virtual field trips</a> to various places around the world looks like a fun way to take a virtual break from social isolation. </li>
</ul>
<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Secondly, on to the links about books and ideas:</b><br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><a href="https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2019/05/fear-and-the-benedict-option">Fear and the Benedict Option</a> by Leah Libresco Sargeant. "Any sort of retreat will also attract people who are tempted to hate the part of the world they are withdrawing from. Any group gathering in a BenOp spirit should expect to attract people at varying levels of weariness, anger, fear, and despair. Even a legitimate righteous anger can curdle into contempt or despair. To truly mend nets requires us to be aware of these temptations in ourselves and in our friends, and to seek to sin no more." <a href="https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2019/05/fear-and-the-benedict-option">Read more</a>.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.circeinstitute.org/blog/come-play-me-lessons-and-my-baby">Come Play With Me: Lessons For (and from) My Baby</a> by Lindsey Brigham Knott. "I’ve marveled at how his baby presence can pulse with pure personhood in a way that no adult’s does. As we grow older, we clothe our persons in all the things we do and think, in quirks, hobbies, vocations, habits, places, pasts. A baby’s person is more mysterious, more elemental; he interacts simply through being, and wakes us up to the mystery of every human soul—that from its first hours outside the womb, this flesh-and-blood pulses with fears, joys, and longings that transcend its merely physical needs, and keep it tethered to a world beyond that of food, shelter, and the stuff of earth." <a href="https://www.circeinstitute.org/blog/come-play-me-lessons-and-my-baby">Read more</a>.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>By the way, I post <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/17812040-anna-mussmann">regular reviews</a> on Goodreads. Feel free to "friend" me there--I enjoy finding new titles through my friends' reviews. </li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>In case you missed it: A while ago I wrote about <a href="https://thefederalist.com/2019/05/20/begin-modeling-good-reading-habits-kids/">How To Turn Your Children Into Readers For Life</a> for <i>The Federalist</i>. I also wrote about <a href="https://thefederalist.com/2020/03/02/how-to-build-a-family-library-of-awesome-picture-books/">Building Your Family Library</a>. </li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Have any of you read Wendy Shalit's <i>A Return to Modesty</i>? It <a href="http://likemotherlikedaughter.org/2020/02/book-club-bits-pieces/">sounds really interesting</a> (apparently it's about societal attitudes in general, not just what women ought to wear).</li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>A last question</b><br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>I like the idea of starting a one-time SDMW book club, probably by utilizing a private Facebook group. Would anyone be interested in reading through C.S. Lewis' <i>Till We Have Faces</i> together? </li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
Blessings!<br />
<br />
Anna<br />
<br /></div>
Anna Mussmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11631139113615066986noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196316261585940971.post-11887136475092830512020-03-04T18:04:00.001-08:002020-03-04T18:04:13.817-08:00What My Noisy Toddler is Teaching Me About Lent<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">By
Anna Mussmann<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">My
husband and I try to teach church-appropriate behavior, and my kids are usually
pretty respectful and attentive. It’s a joy to hear their voices bellowing
“Alleluia” or joining the Sanctus. However, around the age of two, each of them
has gone through what we might call a <i>loud period</i>. During this time, they are
not respectful. They are not attentive. They are loud, belligerent, and
embarrassing. Heavy, too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
go through a period of negativity myself during this phase. I’m annoyed if the
announcements last too long. If my husband tries to discuss the sermon, I’m
like, “Huh? Yeah, I guess there was one, wasn’t there?” A twenty-month-old
child can make going to church <i>so much work</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Intellectually
I know it’s still good to be in church, but that doesn’t mean my
subconscious--or maybe it’s just the devil--doesn’t try to suggest that my life
as a mom is already hard enough without <i>this</i>, too. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Not
too long ago, my youngest was wiggling and fussing in my arms as we stood in
the narthex. He wanted to get down, but I don’t reward bad behavior with
increased freedom. I told him no. The organ began to play the Sanctus. My kid
paused to warble “Hosanna!” with the congregation. Then he went right back to
expressing his disagreement with my parental decisions. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
hadn’t realized he even knew how to say “Hosanna.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">And
it strikes me that this moment is an excellent illustration of the value of
remembering the season of Lent. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Judging
by the Facebook posts I’ve seen recently, Lutherans get self-conscious every
year at the beginning of Lent. Some are suspicious of anything that Catholics
do. Some fear pietism so much they’ve decided the only safe devotional
practices are those that require attendance at church for Divine Service. Many
seem afraid that fasting is doomed to encourage the wrong motivations anyway,
because who wouldn’t like to lose five pounds or free up time from the vortex
of social media? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In
an odd way, it reminds me of a non-denominational girl I once knew. She was
struggling with the idea of baptism. She was from a Christian family and
trusted in Christ’s death as propitiation for her sins, but she hesitated to be
baptized. She was afraid of doing it for the wrong reasons--of being influenced
by social pressure or the knowledge that it would please her parents. As far as
I could tell, she felt that she needed to experience a personal, inner
compulsion to be baptized in order for the act to be legitimate. It was as if
she feared committing sacrilege and so she was waiting indefinitely for the
right feelings. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
wish I could talk to her today. I’d tell her that God has <i>already </i>told
her to be baptized. It’s right there in Scripture. Those promises are for her,
and require no special ultra-personal feelings or motivations, because baptism
is God’s work, not ours. It’s a gift to and for us. Practically speaking, it’s
also something that Christians <i>just do</i>--something we treat as the norm,
not something we need to overthink, even though it is also a rich source of
comfort and meditation for the rest of our lives. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Maybe
Lent is a bit like that, too. Scripture refers often to prayer and fasting. The
assumption seems to be that this is something Christians <i>just do</i>.
Christians throughout history have prayed and fasted. Just as the church has
organized our worship practices into seasons and systems that shape what
happens on Sunday, historical Christians embraced liturgical seasons that
shaped their daily lives and provided structure for personal and family piety.
It wasn’t something that had to be over-thought or overly personalized. It was
just there. A gift. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Nowadays,
many modern Christians, Lutherans included, aren’t used to these practices. Our
sense of what constitutes a “normal Christian life” is perhaps warped by our
own era. It doesn’t help that popular culture’s only understanding of fasting
is shaped by modern consumerism--minimalism, dieting, and “intermittent
fasting,” although potentially helpful, are often just another way to achieve
the homes and bodies we saw in an ad somewhere. That doesn’t mean we should conclude that fasting
belongs to the world, though, anymore than we’d decide that modern bathtubs
invalidate baptismal fonts. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
think the solution lies in thinking less about Lent and simply receiving it as
a gift. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">When
I take my noisy toddler to church even though he is going through a loud
period, it’s worse than useless for me to analyze how much he is getting out of
the experience (or how much I am). It’s pointless for me to examine my own
motivations too closely. Am I acting out of habit? Am I bowing to peer
pressure? Am I fanning my own self-righteousness with this self-imposed
suffering? Actually, it doesn’t really matter. It’s enough to know that going
to church is good. It’s what Christians do. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">My
toddler isn’t very good at going to church. He might fold his hands and look
sweet some of the time, but at other moments he’s busy putting his sinful
human nature on full display. Yet church is still doing something to and for
him. God’s Word is present there, and my child is being shaped. At the very
least, he has learned to sing, “Hosanna.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">This
Lent, I am trusting that “doing what Christians do” is good and helpful. I am
trusting that even if I’m not getting it all right, even if I’m not always
paying attention, God is at work through His Word. Just being in Lent, like
being in church, might teach me too to sing Hosanna.</span></div>
<br />
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***</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX9pQYhNyEaRWBJt2EZu5RJ531nWM_gVceW-XWZQ8n-Vgl1kvK8KJGKprYWoypnFPtsaOmIfMBo0pod88Phu8JnWlLaM1uUxsTEJt47dZnf3WGKnZz1dfG_cQzxsZrVXq9ONOjWlYFrgY/s1600/Mussmann+Anna.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1001" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX9pQYhNyEaRWBJt2EZu5RJ531nWM_gVceW-XWZQ8n-Vgl1kvK8KJGKprYWoypnFPtsaOmIfMBo0pod88Phu8JnWlLaM1uUxsTEJt47dZnf3WGKnZz1dfG_cQzxsZrVXq9ONOjWlYFrgY/s200/Mussmann+Anna.jpg" width="199" /></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><i>After graduating from Concordia Wisconsin, Anna taught in Lutheran schools for several years and became so enthusiastic about Classical Education that she will talk about it to whomever will listen. She is a big fan of Jane Austen, dark chocolate, and the Oxford comma. Anna and her husband live in Pennsylvania with their children. Anna's work can also be found in </i></span><a href="http://thefederalist.com/author/annamussmann/" style="background-color: white; color: #378ba7; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">The Federalist</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;">.</span><br />
<br /></div>
Anna Mussmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11631139113615066986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196316261585940971.post-20968535092493784242020-02-29T11:38:00.003-08:002020-03-04T18:19:05.054-08:00I Don't "Deserve" Self Care. I Rejoice in God's Good Gifts Instead. <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga-JcKgbf8Y-AsGiuw2oIHjR7w10arskxgoCg2oJDBK1WV1ijwy3MKRseb6qFXZIHdo35ZeP3YMWMEdCs67dOT2zdF3WyrCbtAFtl8wre6R_cmrtQRESMywF99EPRlhhbcraggJBUgztk/s1600/john+sloan+sun+and+wind+on+the+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="724" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga-JcKgbf8Y-AsGiuw2oIHjR7w10arskxgoCg2oJDBK1WV1ijwy3MKRseb6qFXZIHdo35ZeP3YMWMEdCs67dOT2zdF3WyrCbtAFtl8wre6R_cmrtQRESMywF99EPRlhhbcraggJBUgztk/s400/john+sloan+sun+and+wind+on+the+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">By Molly Barnett</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Social
media and elsewhere have been saturated recently with messages of “self-care”
by well-intentioned people who boldly declare, “you deserve it.” Insert any
number of things for “it,” and do it in the name of “self-care” because you
work so hard, don’t you? So maybe my cynicism has already surfaced, but I
cannot help but question this modern mantra for the hard-working woman,
particularly for the mother. Now that God has given me the vocation of wife and
mother to fulfill, I wonder what it means to take care of myself as a Christian
woman living in service to others while messages on the importance of self-care
bombard me. So I ask myself, do I deserve that quiet walk alone while my
husband watches our infant son at home on a Saturday morning? Do I deserve a
ladies’ brunch? Do I <i>deserve</i> it? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
world says, “of course!” The world through Instagram and
Facebook tells me that I sacrifice so much of my time and preferences for my
husband and son that I deserve something for myself. However, thinking I
deserve a reward for the work given to me can be dangerous to my faith and to
how I live out my vocation. I might be tempted to look contemptuously at
my spouse who, I perceive, is not giving me enough of a break from motherhood,
or I could even view my son as a curse rather than the blessing that Scripture
tells me he is. Psalm 127:3-5 informs me that <b>“</b>children are a heritage
from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward.” In the midst of wiping the
blow-out off of my son’s back, I admit, this verse is far from my mind, but it
is true! God’s blessings to us are not always the kind we think we want, and we
certainly do not deserve His abundant gifts! What do I deserve, then? St. Paul
tells me that I deserve something drastically different than “me time.” Romans
6:23 says, “The wages of sin is death.” Frankly, I deserve eternal punishment
for the many times I have turned in on myself and sinned by grumbling,
complaining, blaming, and giving in to self-pity while fulfilling my vocation.
So, no, I do not deserve a single good thing; but rather I ought to give thanks
for every one of them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">A
posture of gratitude toward God for His gifts and living in His richness of
grace actually frees us to embrace our vocation, knowing that dutifully
carrying it out will not earn any favor with God or bring about sanctification,
but rather, it is an act of loving obedience. He has carried out our salvation
on the cross in the death and resurrection of Christ for all of our sins. There
is nothing left for us to do but to pray, praise, and give thanks! So how is
this related to the world’s interpretation of “self-care?” Well, I stumbled
upon this saying recently, “Self-respect, self-worth, and self-love, all start
with self. Stop looking outside of yourself for value.” There it was in plain
writing, the world’s lie. As Christians redeemed by Christ’s blood, we
absolutely look outside of ourselves to find value in Him! Placing ourselves at
the center of our world will not bring eternal rest or fulfillment for our
souls, and looking inwardly for existential answers to life’s troubles will
bring either despair or selfishness. Our identity rests in Christ alone. I am
incapable of granting peace and rest to my own soul, for God is the only one
who can--and does!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Nevertheless,
pursuing our interests is not bad nor sinful. Indeed we are free to read, cook a delicious meal, eat a decadent slice of cheesecake, go for a
run, or enjoy a trip to the salon. However, the minute we consider ourselves
deserving of these things or consider </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px;">self-care rituals</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> necessary for the preservation our soul’s health, we have succumbed to the world’s ways. God has filled our world with great and tiny wonders to behold,
discover, and enjoy, and all we need to do is receive them gladly as gifts from
a loving Father who knows our every need. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
Author of life, Savior of mankind, Alpha and Omega, cares for each and every one
of His children. Is that not more comforting to hear than “do these things and
look into your own heart for complete happiness?” Therefore, we may go forth in
our vocations as daughters, sisters, mothers, and wives and joyfully look
outside of ourselves for value, for our identity rests in Christ alone and His
work done on the cross for us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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***</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjJBH5lHgtCm1U_5Rry0SUGnALfLlGQiQFZdXKQXoSMFzW1NsXSR5sC1sHR9KFO-VzHM1JYODo_aMkfYtKQk4A6TWASjOnNYOUBUzwwLf2vDwLbwuMFNzbOp_Ga4LKhBR9XvZF4fYh56E/s1600/Leithart%252C+Molly+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="403" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjJBH5lHgtCm1U_5Rry0SUGnALfLlGQiQFZdXKQXoSMFzW1NsXSR5sC1sHR9KFO-VzHM1JYODo_aMkfYtKQk4A6TWASjOnNYOUBUzwwLf2vDwLbwuMFNzbOp_Ga4LKhBR9XvZF4fYh56E/s200/Leithart%252C+Molly+%25282%2529.jpg" width="188" /></a><i>Molly Barnett lives with her husband and son in Alexandria, Virginia where they are members of Immanuel Lutheran Church. Before becoming a mother, she taught fourth grade for six years at the classical Immanuel Lutheran School. She holds a B.A. in English from The Ohio State University and an M.A. in liberal arts from St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland. Her favorite activities these days include walking outside with her family, playing the piano, and competing against her husband in various board games. </i><br />
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Anna Mussmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11631139113615066986noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196316261585940971.post-10298964520588623592020-02-28T17:59:00.001-08:002020-02-29T11:17:12.956-08:00Missing This Blog (from Rebekah Theilen)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGIxRZ44kfEXtmBtZK0ua7vb7Qyr24d09Ue96sOAo0mUwOZuYERFdkcrpREEXzEK5t6yQJ43yYx9ViluMSATYMrHWj4SrvnyCMXz9AmsfSw24mZ07TR1M7vZHw4-faab7Y-ZxTmd2B98U/s1600/missing+blog+Common_Tea-tree_flower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGIxRZ44kfEXtmBtZK0ua7vb7Qyr24d09Ue96sOAo0mUwOZuYERFdkcrpREEXzEK5t6yQJ43yYx9ViluMSATYMrHWj4SrvnyCMXz9AmsfSw24mZ07TR1M7vZHw4-faab7Y-ZxTmd2B98U/s320/missing+blog+Common_Tea-tree_flower.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">To second what Anna wrote earlier this
summer, I, too, often find myself thinking of topics I could use for potential
articles. I miss the days when this blog was more active, and we, as the
readers, were able to hear from fellow Lutheran women on the themes that come
up in our daily lives and vocations. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">It seems words have in no way stopped, but
moved. With a steady stream of words in the visible spaces such as
Instagram and Twitter, blogs are now a quieter, less popular medium.
Public blogs require more maintenance and upkeep, including the more
tedious work of formatting and editing. If you’re going to have a blog, you
also need to have articles, which means there’s a need for writers to write
them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I don’t want to live a divided life. I’m a
firm believer in investing first and foremost in our real-life people.
The internet, so often, doesn’t seem like the “real” world. We have
physical neighbors with physical needs, and I’m committed to being “present” in
my flesh and blood universe. Yet if the internet has made any one thing
very clear to me, it’s that we, as human beings, along with bodies, have
souls. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I only have one soul, and God has told me
in his word that I’m to love him with all of it. The soul is not something we
put on like an outfit. I don’t have a separate soul for the reader me, the
writer me, the mom me, or wife me. What you see is what you get, and what you
don’t see, I’m often compelled to try to put into words. Words serve to
enlighten us, for words have a way of making hidden worlds visible. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Though blogging appears to be a phase that
has passed, and the efforts involved can feel like more trouble than they’re
worth, I’d also like to see words begin to move back here. I believe this
blog was a worthwhile endeavor, and served as a way to love God and our
neighbors. Blogging provides a way to connect and converse with others,
and regular conversations sharpen minds and uplift our spirits.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">What I liked about this blog is that I
didn’t have to Google search. I knew where to find it, read the blog regularly,
and every new week looked forward to the posts. The articles were
thoughtful, respectful, and clear. While I didn’t always agree or feel a
connection with every single article or writer, I valued the consistent
fellowship within a sisterhood of both like-minded and different-minded
Lutheran women. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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***</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><i>Rebekah spends her days living life alongside her husband and children. She enjoys reading, homeschooling, and every once in a great while, chasing after the wind. </i></span><br />
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Anna Mussmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11631139113615066986noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196316261585940971.post-70026451791857636342019-07-05T16:47:00.000-07:002019-07-05T18:33:30.206-07:00Lovely New Book from Kloria Press (A Review of Lord, Thee I Love with All My Heart)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Review by Anna Mussmann</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I love what <a href="https://www.kloria.com/">Kloria Press</a> does. Each of their books
takes a theologically rich hymn and illustrates it for children. What makes
these volumes special, though, is the way the illustrations tell an independent
story that complements the hymn, demonstrating its relationship to the life of
the Christian. The format allows a simple picture book to become surprisingly
deep. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLGnhWAABDWTEhyphenhyphen9ilgOONFq3pPH1z0ZjEp0CvKU_6y0wunEsIM0TrsUIJ4GIWilaEUE5FXijm94u412RrZpKGn6zUFdgPPVG6yLCy4ocMkvYUNvjIe27ruW8aBNBpc_GgUEVjffXaLg4/s1600/christianbooksdeathforkidsreview.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="402" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLGnhWAABDWTEhyphenhyphen9ilgOONFq3pPH1z0ZjEp0CvKU_6y0wunEsIM0TrsUIJ4GIWilaEUE5FXijm94u412RrZpKGn6zUFdgPPVG6yLCy4ocMkvYUNvjIe27ruW8aBNBpc_GgUEVjffXaLg4/s320/christianbooksdeathforkidsreview.jpg" width="257" /></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Kloria Press has produced a number of board books, but it's their larger picture books--like this new one--that have the most scope for story. They also might be described as more daring in their themes, presenting events and imagery atypical of the kind of religious books for children you usually find in bookstores. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lord-Thee-Love-All-Heart/dp/1933737034">Lord, Thee I Love with All My Heart</a> is a hymn that looks to Christ for both earthly comfort and for
rest after death. Kelly Schumacher has illustrated it to show us a young girl who
becomes ill--cancer is suggested--and goes to join her Savior. Her family is
shown mourning her, and, later, reuniting in Heaven. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The death of a child is not something one finds in
many picture books. Yet how can children understand the need for Christ’s
sacrifice on the cross--and His resurrection--if we do not talk about death? A
book like this allows parents to present death in a Christian context, to
answer a child’s questions, and to point towards the hope we all share. Because
the text is limited to the words of the hymn, parents can easily adapt the
discussion to the needs and understanding of their own children.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I envision many readers finding the
loveliness of these illustrations comforting. They <i>are</i> lovely. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Ms. Schumacher's heartfelt art is special.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px;"> Yet--and this is probably just me</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">--some of the spreads seem to fall on the pretty/romantic side of the spectrum. I wonder if some boys would consider them "girly" (although it's also true that children are drawn to both beauty and prettiness). I would also quibble that it would have been nice to see a Jesus who looked less blondly European, and that it's preferable to avoid portraying angels as women and children. Mightn’t the latter reinforce the popular misconception
that people become angels after death? Or that angels are female? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Again, though, this is a thoughtfully executed book
with a wonderful concept. It takes children seriously by offering them historic
hymns without adulteration or simplified explanation. I recommend checking it out.</span></div>
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***</div>
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdUcMqUMN75ynRxPwnQHtr40c41SPfNc1bPIQLXzYd9i0R3Jd8tOIa9mjQjK_M6wI9F_nJ0GTGfpBiGsGV9iIcz0CYgIxZylZ6yamrHDJjr7vRvMPNyoMHc_Tj3nhAV9f54IyAfumdZL0/s1600/Mussmann+Anna+cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdUcMqUMN75ynRxPwnQHtr40c41SPfNc1bPIQLXzYd9i0R3Jd8tOIa9mjQjK_M6wI9F_nJ0GTGfpBiGsGV9iIcz0CYgIxZylZ6yamrHDJjr7vRvMPNyoMHc_Tj3nhAV9f54IyAfumdZL0/s200/Mussmann+Anna+cropped.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><i>After graduating from Concordia Wisconsin, Anna taught in Lutheran schools for several years and became so enthusiastic about Classical Education that she will talk about it to whomever will listen. She is a big fan of Jane Austen, dark chocolate, and the Oxford comma. Anna and her husband live in Pennsylvania with their two small children. Anna's work can also be found in </i></span><a href="http://thefederalist.com/author/annamussmann/" style="background-color: white; color: #378ba7; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">The Federalist</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15.4px;">.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><br /></span></div>
Anna Mussmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11631139113615066986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196316261585940971.post-75330988880739133522019-07-01T17:37:00.000-07:002019-07-01T18:08:56.574-07:00New Site for Lutheran Home Educators<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">By Deaconess Mary J. Moerbe</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">There
are a lot of women who went to college, got degrees, and then, whether by
design or development, stayed home following marriage. Some call themselves
professional homemakers, emphasizing home over house. I'd like to suggest that
those who homeschool can also consider themselves professional homeschoolers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Does
that mean I think you can make money by opening your home as a mini-school or
one-room schoolhouse? Not necessarily. At the same time, what we do within our
vocations is not a hobby. We are not hobbyists, but professionals!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiVqU6QnPoGn-88TBbYNzjcVuZBmN57qMsHNdj5VGJcqaeUFhHgvOdbZbysfNP6XFRfLC5GJYBFb6g8aUEr0GL05Bssd7cGFZxlhm3NPACSa-j2PMVUK0zsIwiaVx3khVeKX64yJyujXQ/s1600/MildeRautenberg+pastor+and+family.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1030" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiVqU6QnPoGn-88TBbYNzjcVuZBmN57qMsHNdj5VGJcqaeUFhHgvOdbZbysfNP6XFRfLC5GJYBFb6g8aUEr0GL05Bssd7cGFZxlhm3NPACSa-j2PMVUK0zsIwiaVx3khVeKX64yJyujXQ/s320/MildeRautenberg+pastor+and+family.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">There
is not particularly job training for marriage or parenting. After all, our
vocations cannot be boiled down to general or vague steps to follow. We serve
our neighbor and that is about as narrow and specific as it can get! And the
reasons that drive us to homeschooling may mean that typical secular
educational training is not the training we actively pursue.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Others
may not understand our desire to stay home. They may not be able to imagine our
desire to stay home with children who can admittedly run us ragged. And,
frankly, those children can make any amount of housekeeping and homemaking
sometimes seem like a lofty and unattainable desire. Still, we are <i>working </i>at
it. We may have no office but our home, but we wake up, face the day, and
accomplish what we can.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Although
we can get tempted to undermine ourselves with constant and ever-changing job
self-evaluations, neither those goals nor our "success" is the point.
Even those who are not full-time homeschoolers are teachers and providers for
their children. Children learn at home whether one claims to homeschool or not.
And the men and women in that home are placed into a teaching role by none
other than God Himself so that we cannot help but teach. So what do we teach?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">My
favorite subject has to be that although we sin and fall short often and in so
many ways, in Christ we are forgiven, restored, honored, and safe. Not only do
my children learn that on an ongoing basis, but I do, too! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Other
than that, however, I get to use my background and various trainings and
lessons to love and serve my children. I can try to keep up on the reading
material and developments in my field if I can manage it, yet, at the same
time, I can relax, knowing that ancient parents loved and served their children
with far less than I sometimes dream of . . . and they did so successfully!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">It
is God who ultimately raises children. God grants and sustains life, not only
in the womb but each and every day. It is God who provides our time together
and His good gifts to share.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">As
society changes, more and more Christians are homeschooling. This can raise
some tension between retreating from the world and preparing to engage it. Yet,
I've recently stumbled onto an idea that may help with that and many other
little practical worries and concerns professional homeschoolers can have.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I'm
a Lutheran author and a blogger a little obsessed with resources, so I asked
myself the following questions:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">What
would happen if Lutheran homeschoolers had their own place to leave comments
about non-Lutheran curricula that could use some Lutheran tweaking?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">What
if Lutheran homeschoolers could share what they develop for use within their
own families with larger communities at large?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Could
Lutheran homeschoolers really unite in such a way that we can pool our
educational and creative resources?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
answer to all of those is that I want to find out!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I've
put together a brand new website: <a href="http://lutheranhomeschool.com/" target="_blank">LutheranHomeschool.com</a>. It's in its infancy and it could
benefit from a community of professional homeschoolers looking it over and
raising it to become the Lutheran resource it can be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">There
are pages for recommendations and requests. There is a marketplace where we can
either freely share or sell downloads individuals develop. We even have a list
of conferences, in case that interests you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">You'll
have no pressure or job evaluations from me. But, if this can help you in any
way, or if you think you may be able to serve others through helping this
project along, look it over. New things are already in the works.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
tip my proverbial hat to all my fellow professional homeschoolers, even as I
pray that the truth, wisdom, and comforts of Lutheranism can be spread far and wide—thick
and heavy!—both in our homes and out of it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Thank
you, whether you are a homeschooler or not, for being in the vocations God has
given you. He has placed you in it for the greater good.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Yours
in Christ,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Mary
J Moerbe<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">***</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4XVWbp7hNMMDH_pw8NT6HwQMo29UZj-0txJQ0o9P6XSOJr99HMIi2eB6bjwhq5uJ269GxuRLRLK7e8E5eHMe7xI8TGV-t0FvnkyCu3XWgv9Ruwugj3EPfIWqEv-3G5vRYAhe12YAGmFc/s1600/Moerbe+Mary+J.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="390" data-original-width="390" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4XVWbp7hNMMDH_pw8NT6HwQMo29UZj-0txJQ0o9P6XSOJr99HMIi2eB6bjwhq5uJ269GxuRLRLK7e8E5eHMe7xI8TGV-t0FvnkyCu3XWgv9Ruwugj3EPfIWqEv-3G5vRYAhe12YAGmFc/s200/Moerbe+Mary+J.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>Mary is a Lutheran deaconess, author, wife, mother to six, and blogger
at</i> <a href="http://maryjmoerbe.com/" target="_blank">maryjmoerbe.com</a>.
<i>Her new website is </i><a href="http://lutheranhomeschool.com/" target="_blank">LutheranHomeschool.com</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br /></div>
Anna Mussmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11631139113615066986noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196316261585940971.post-21736030336093302802019-07-01T17:35:00.001-07:002019-07-01T17:35:06.617-07:00Why Yes, this IS a Post!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">By Anna Mussmann</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Often while washing the dinner dishes I think of a
topic for an article. It seems as if I should write it. And yet, at the same
time, perhaps not. Almost everything I write is based on opinion. Sometimes I
feel confident that mine are good opinions, shaped by having learned from
people who are wiser than myself. Yet at other times I wonder. What if all
these words are merely the outflow of callow youth? What if I look back in ten
years and wish I had waited to grow up and build a more mature outlook before I
shared it with others? That would be pretty embarrassing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Besides, since the birth of
Mini-Mussmann-Number-Three, juggling my various daily duties has felt more
complicated. My brain is just more tired out, and by the time I sit down at my
computer, I tend to want to just make a Shutterfly album so I can look at
pictures of my cute children. Who are, by the way, extremely photogenic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Yet I’ve begun writing again lately. Here and there.
I hope readers know that I realize my own fallibility. I hope I don’t come
across as thinking I have the answers. And, yes, I admit I also hope someone is
reading this stuff, because mixed in with the doubts is a desire to communicate
to the world outside my home. To possibly be useful, interesting, funny, or
entertaining. To have readers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: times new roman, serif;">So. . . there will probably be posts in this space. But slowly!</span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Blessings,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Anna</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br /></div>
Anna Mussmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11631139113615066986noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196316261585940971.post-71820651931083778792018-11-30T17:43:00.003-08:002018-12-03T17:57:53.733-08:00Books for Every Lutheran in Your Family: A Gift Guide<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
By Anna Mussmann<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkFUgRLbcdG2WbC1bNtDafwwd4LMtPJw7uRerohwDx_7D0qZDEu8DYZ5765_hpDBaRjRDWU6PjW6OKS8itqSTb6dbmgqDbiF_aytXSoytSx0EYt_u_hhTA8LGd9rK4BSRPXS6bjqn1vIU/s1600/gift+guide+lutheran+books+s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="496" data-original-width="1600" height="123" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkFUgRLbcdG2WbC1bNtDafwwd4LMtPJw7uRerohwDx_7D0qZDEu8DYZ5765_hpDBaRjRDWU6PjW6OKS8itqSTb6dbmgqDbiF_aytXSoytSx0EYt_u_hhTA8LGd9rK4BSRPXS6bjqn1vIU/s400/gift+guide+lutheran+books+s.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I love choosing Christmas presents. Finding just the
right item for each person is a lot like cooking, sewing, or any other creative
endeavor: it takes time, thought, and effort; and the results are satisfying.
Of course, I am also blessed with an extended family inclined to gratitude and
joy. That makes it all much more fun!</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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My family-of-origin likes to give moderate gifts. This
year we gathered to exchange them at Thanksgiving because we won’t all be
traveling for Christmas. I gave books to everyone. Books are an admirable gift.
They are suitable both to those who already have a lot of stuff and those who
don’t. They fit easily into a suitcase (or a Kindle) and provide travelers with
entertainment for the flight home. They can be found second-hand or on sale
throughout the year. They are--or should be--part of everyone’s life. I myself
am always on the hunt for new book recommendations. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Should you be looking for titles to wrap this year, here
are suggestions based on things I’ve recently read and/or gifted. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<b>Religious and Non-fiction Books</b><br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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For the Lutheran women in your family, try <a href="http://emmanuelpress.us/books/he-restores-my-soul/"><i>He Restores My
Soul</i></a>. It is a collection of essays by Lutheran women about Christ’s
faithfulness in times of struggle and suffering. The writing, the theology, and
the Christian comfort are equally beautiful. <a href="http://www.sisterdaughtermotherwife.com/2018/06/meditations-on-vocation-of-motherhood.html">This
volume</a> of devotions might also hit the spot for the mothers you know. <o:p></o:p></div>
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For nearly anyone, consider a leather-bound <a href="https://www.cph.org/p-2214-lutheran-service-book-personalgift-edition.aspx">personal
hymnal </a>from CPH. It’s a little smaller than a “pew hymnal” and can be
personalized with your recipient’s name. It would make a particularly good gift
for someone who travels frequently or who will soon head off to college.
Similarly, you might try a compact or regular edition of the <a href="https://www.cph.org/p-20030-Treasury-of-Daily-Prayer-Compact-Edition.aspx"><i>Treasury
of Daily Prayer</i></a> or the book <a href="https://www.cph.org/p-498-reading-the-psalms-with-luther.aspx"><i>Reading
the Psalms with Luther</i></a>. They are attractively bound and offer an
abundance of devotional material. There’s just something special about a
beautiful, compact book to take along in one’s bag or keep on the nightstand. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Soul-Paraphrase-Treasury-Classic-Devotional/dp/1433558610">This
volume</a> qualifies both as literature and also as devotional reading. It’s an
annotated collection of great poetry (authors include Shakespeare and Emily
Dickinson) that relates to faith, God, and the soul. Because it is new it is
unlikely that your recipient already has it. Note: the price seems to fluctuate
on Amazon, so check back again later if it’s currently more than $25.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Gene Edward Veith’s <a href="https://www.cph.org/p-2262-the-spirituality-of-the-cross-expanded-revised.aspx"><i>The
Spirituality of the Cross</i></a> is an excellent book to give to the
non-Lutheran Christians who are or might become part of your family (assuming
they are the sort of book-minded folks who are interested in reading about
ideas and theology. It is geared towards people who already understand
Christian terminology and theology). <o:p></o:p></div>
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My husband and I are currently both reading Walter
Wangerin <a href="https://www.amazon.com/House-Crafting-Your-Marriage-Last/dp/0785266712"><i>As
For Me And My House: Crafting Your Marriage To Last</i></a> and are
appreciating it immensely. It’s very well-written--quite literary, in fact--and
inspiring. Your spouse might like reading it together with you. I also gave a
copy to my sister who is engaged to be married. <a href="http://www.sisterdaughtermotherwife.com/2016/09/so-much-better-than-self-help-book.html"><i>Family
Vocations</i></a> by Veith and Moerbe is another volume that is applicable both
to those who are in the process of forming their families and those who have
enough experience to reflect on what they have built. <o:p></o:p></div>
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For the kids, take a look at <a href="https://www.kloria.com/">Kloria Press</a>. Classic Lutheran hymns,
creatively and attractively illustrated, make up the texts in their picture
books. <a href="https://www.kloria.com/books/picture/">Both of these</a> are
exceptionally rendered. They also offer board books. In addition, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/God-Loves-Me-Such-Would/dp/1978492499">this
independently published</a> look at the story of salvation is well-done. <o:p></o:p></div>
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On a completely different topic, have you heard of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Annos-Math-Games-Mitsumasa-Anno/dp/0399211519"><i>Anno’s
Math Games</i></a> by Mitsumasa Anno? The author/illustrator has created a
series of books that teach math through creative illustrations. My children
enjoy them quite a bit and may get some for Christmas. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Literature</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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Here are three novels I have given to others in the last
few years:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Imperium-Novel-Ancient-Robert-Harris/dp/0743498666"><i>Imperium</i></a>
by Robert Harris is well-researched historical fiction based on the early
career of Cicero. It is likely to delight any of your friends or relatives who
are familiar with the famous orator and/or who have classical tastes. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Laurus-Eugene-Vodolazkin/dp/178074871X"><i>Laurus</i></a>
by Eugene Vodolazkin is--well, actually, I haven’t read this one. I gave it to
my husband based on a blog post by Gene Edward Veith and my husband recommends it. Try it on a relative who likes Russian literature. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Goblin-Emperor-Katherine-Addison/dp/0765365685"><i>The
Goblin Emperor</i></a> by Katherine Addison is an excellent choice for
fantasy-lovers. It’s an unusual book. The author does all kinds of things
authors are told not to do (including having characters spend pages explaining
things) and yet somehow it all works beautifully and is fun to read. The details and depth of the
story would likely also appeal to fans of historical fiction or literary
fiction. </blockquote>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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If you know anyone who is an adult fan of Laura Ingalls
Wilder and the Little House books, get them <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-Girl-Laura-Ingalls-Wilder/dp/0984504176">this
book</a>. It includes the autobiographical material Wilder used to write her famous series as well as extensive, fascinating, scholarly notes. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Beautiful editions of classics are always a good choice.
I like the Penguin clothbound classics series (here’s <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Persuasion-Penguin-Clothbound-Classics-Austen/dp/0141197692">an
example</a>) and I love the collector’s library books (<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Persuasion-Collectors-Library-October-Hardcover/dp/B014LLLX6S">example</a>).
The latter are extremely high-quality pocket editions, suitable for stowing in
one’s purse. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I’m a big fan of “children's” books that appeal to the
whole family. I’ve written before about some of <a href="http://thefederalist.com/2017/11/30/quality-christmas-books-read-advent-instead-smarmy-garbage/">my
favorite Christmas picture books</a>. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Don’t forget about poetry books. Beautifully-illustrated
ones are fun to share, especially if you can build a habit of reading one poem
a day (or the same one every day for a week) with your children.This<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mehans-Mildly-Amusing-Mythical-Mammals/dp/1505112494/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1543604755&sr=8-2&keywords=matthew+mehan">
quirky combination</a> of alphabet book, fantastical creatures, and erudite
glossary is a fun title to share as well (my full review <a href="https://thefederalist.com/2018/12/03/childrens-book-will-teach-family-laugh/">is here</a>). I’m considering getting <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Sing-Song-Seasons-Nature-Poem/dp/1536202479">this
volume</a> of nature-related poems for my family. We already have Gyo
Fujikawa’s <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Childs-Book-Poems-Gyo-Fujikawa/dp/1402750617">poetry
book </a>and enjoy that one.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Looking for more ideas? Your friendly neighborhood SDMW
writers have written <a href="http://www.sisterdaughtermotherwife.com/search/label/Reviews">a number of
reviews</a>, including two for recent CPH novels your family members might not
yet have read. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Blessed Advent!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitlSwfTC80-weUiZ1DEGW0iUmOlIo7i-siMtv1F2HM2d_hmHly_gsNpKq-5KOXkhkA6NXgWjwAKEDWY0SmjPo0X1tQ1oe9tlfwSGAnE52dzvr_4nEaMphR6yTqFycYHT9nIks7nbG3vRQ/s1600/Mussmann+Anna+cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitlSwfTC80-weUiZ1DEGW0iUmOlIo7i-siMtv1F2HM2d_hmHly_gsNpKq-5KOXkhkA6NXgWjwAKEDWY0SmjPo0X1tQ1oe9tlfwSGAnE52dzvr_4nEaMphR6yTqFycYHT9nIks7nbG3vRQ/s200/Mussmann+Anna+cropped.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><i>After graduating from Concordia Wisconsin, Anna taught in Lutheran schools for several years and became so enthusiastic about Classical Education that she will talk about it to whomever will listen. She is a big fan of Jane Austen, dark chocolate, and the Oxford comma. Anna and her husband live in Pennsylvania with their two small children. Anna's work can also be found in </i></span><a href="http://thefederalist.com/author/annamussmann/" style="background-color: white; color: #378ba7; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">The Federalist</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15.4px;">.</span><br />
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Anna Mussmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11631139113615066986noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9196316261585940971.post-29597134437805941332018-11-15T18:01:00.002-08:002018-11-15T18:04:12.783-08:00Struggling to Forgive? God Brings His Strength to You in Word and Sacrament (Part III of III)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">By Katy Cloninger</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLcfvg9znGavZuareBAhcfHgxCPKIv0GHpC30gn5iDz7kZlPlLxCngSzLHZu1iFjsdPQzvSlGd_O_hs0Eu9jh4EvZ4b2suAPF2z9HpxNOwrbKihA7lqC9sZXnfTs-T65VpwVeKXU1FXqE/s1600/Martin_Luther_Preaching_to_Faithful_%25281561%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="705" data-original-width="1024" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLcfvg9znGavZuareBAhcfHgxCPKIv0GHpC30gn5iDz7kZlPlLxCngSzLHZu1iFjsdPQzvSlGd_O_hs0Eu9jh4EvZ4b2suAPF2z9HpxNOwrbKihA7lqC9sZXnfTs-T65VpwVeKXU1FXqE/s320/Martin_Luther_Preaching_to_Faithful_%25281561%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Forgiveness
(both the giving and receiving of it) is an essential aspect of the Christian
life. <a href="http://www.sisterdaughtermotherwife.com/2018/10/forgiveness-journey-worth-taking-part-i.html">In Parts I</a> and <a href="http://www.sisterdaughtermotherwife.com/2018/11/forgiveness-it-can-be-messy-part-ii-of.html">II of this series</a>, we’ve discussed the need to forgive our
neighbors and explored some truths about forgiveness that, once realized, can
help us let go of our anger and forgive. Today, we will look at the very source
of our ability to forgive—that is, where we get the forgiveness of our own sins
and the strength of the Holy Spirit to forgive those who sin against us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Stay
grounded in the Word of God, the Sacraments, and the whole life of the Church.</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> First of all, we
should go to church every Sunday. In the readings, the sermon, the hymns, the
Absolution, and the Lord’s Supper, our loving and forgiving Lord comes to us
and heals us. Through His Word, He convicts us of our sins and makes known to
us our forgiveness. Our brothers and sisters who sit with us in the pews can
also give us great comfort and support when we are hurting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Individual
confession and absolution can also be tremendously helpful as we process our
pain and anger. Here we confess that we, too, are sinners who deserve the wrath
of God and eternal punishment. Yet as the pastor places his hands on our heads
and pronounces forgiveness in the stead and by the command of Christ, the
burden of our sins is released and we find freedom from guilt and shame. When
we know and believe that our sins are forgiven, it is much easier to then
forgive our neighbor. Of course, talking with our pastors outside of a formal
confession setting can be immensely beneficial as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Reading
the Bible daily at home is also important, for we need to be fed every day. The
psalms in particular reflect a wide range of human emotion while teaching us to
trust in God to bring about justice and His will. The psalms lead us to confess
our sins and to acknowledge God as the One who will vindicate us in His own
time and way—either bringing our offender to repentance in this life, or
punishing him in the next. (Of course, we should pray for the former, for that
is what God in His mercy desires for all of us.) Whatever book of the Bible we
read, we can find much comfort and help in processing our emotions. As we read
about God’s actions in history, His will for us, and His promises which we have
received through Baptism, the Holy Spirit will work in our hearts and lead us
to pray, “Thy will be done.” In God, we find all our needs met and all our
anxieties and distresses put to rest.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Singing
hymns can also be a wonderful way to heal our souls. Good hymns are anchored
firmly in the Word of God and are memorable enough to learn by heart and sing
out loud or to ourselves. They can be very comforting and remind us of God’s
goodness and mercy. A few that have helped me particularly are “O Little Flock,
Fear Not the Foe,” “I Know My Faith Is Founded,” “A Mighty Fortress Is Our
God,” “From God Can Nothing Move Me,” “What God Ordains Is Always Good,” “The
Will of God Is Always Best,” and “Jesus Lives! The Victory’s Won”—among many
others. By singing hymns over and over, we meditate on the truths they express,
and the words will often come back to us in hours of darkness and gently
encourage us to put our trust in the Lord.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Forgiveness
is not always easy, but with God, all things are possible. The same Triune God
who raised the dead, gave sight to the blind, healed the lepers, and made the
lame to walk is also able to heal our pain and help us truly forgive our
offenders from our hearts. Like all good works, forgiveness is not something we
muster up in ourselves apart from the Holy Spirit, but it is a good fruit that
follows faith, which is itself a gift from God. Though our Old Adam resists
this work of the Holy Spirit in us, with God’s help, it is possible to “finally
overcome [the devil, the world, and our sinful flesh] and win the victory.”
Forgiveness is the true victory, and it is freedom. With God’s help, we can put
aside our bitterness, hurt, and anger and walk in His glorious freedom.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYInSBKn3O1q1w4gBhMfu_WT48UkBvC6SCB3UVLLY-roWVPCta-A4pnJwjjsBWLTA18ZBP8U9FvuTcshBOntLNzQZme7qG7kL9Zi9ex9IcKMFkH5-gm25aZCGEiQu6lOgbH39FMJg_pAM/s1600/Katy+Cloninger+Photo+bnw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYInSBKn3O1q1w4gBhMfu_WT48UkBvC6SCB3UVLLY-roWVPCta-A4pnJwjjsBWLTA18ZBP8U9FvuTcshBOntLNzQZme7qG7kL9Zi9ex9IcKMFkH5-gm25aZCGEiQu6lOgbH39FMJg_pAM/s200/Katy+Cloninger+Photo+bnw.jpg" width="200" /></a><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15.4px;">Katy is a sister, daughter, and mother, as well as a </span><a href="http://wfwcopyediting.com/" style="color: #378ba7; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-decoration-line: none;">freelance copyeditor </a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15.4px;">and a member of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church (LCMS) in Columbia, SC. She has a BA in English from Newberry College, loves studying theology and teaching it to her son, and is currently enrolled in the school of hard knocks.</span></i><br />
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Anna Mussmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11631139113615066986noreply@blogger.com1