Summer in Portage...

... my favorite part of Indiana Summer

double cosmos

my first Sunflower!!

I LOVE these.... but can't remember the name...

rabbits foot fern from grandpa

blooming...

:)

Two Years

Two years ago today I married Christopher.

I am blessed by a man of God who is overwhelmingly patient, hilarious and deeply thoughtful.

I remember a few months after starting to date Christopher we drove to Wisconsin for Easter. We stopped at a rest area with a giant pink elephant. Christopher took a picture of me by it and I bought a sticker of the pink elephant. I put the sticker in my journal and filled the whole parallel page with "I am the Luckiest Girl in the world"


still true. :)

Visiting Grampa

Today I was reading about the Inspiration of the Scriptures... How inspiration is God's assurance that all the accounts of scripture are free from human error (as originally written) The author goes on to talk about illumination. Both are the work of the Spirit, one is presently available to all, the later... well I can not fully understand, it is for believers, for those searching, for those who do not believe... but it doesn't happen to every person every time they open this Holy Book... I want to be frustrated as I ponder it ... but how can I . The Sovereign God created a way to convey His truth and our opportunity for redemption so simple that a child can understand yet so deep its mysteries will never be fully known.

So I visited by Grandpa yesterday, and Im still processing parts of the experience. The smells and somewhat distant staff were frustrating but as I stood in this Lutheran Medical Center I was very discouraged by the lack of celebration.

Grandpa's room is one wing over from the Alzheimer Unit, so some of the higher functioning patients sit in his lobby. Some mumble and peddle their wheelchairs in circles, others watch quietly, their eyes seeming to say 'I'm in here'. Amidst the quiet conversation and pattering of the physical therapy room there is a somber quietness. And it discouraged me.

No worship music, no deep connection between nurses and patients, no indication that the people sitting around me are perhaps measurably near eternity. It is more a magnifying glass of the fading humanity... and i wish it was different. I wish it was inspired. no i mean Inspired, spiritually. I wish the truth of God's love, transformation and redemption was a reality free from error. That the idea of fading humanity would be replaced with ... celebration, and an invitation to those who may not know Christ yet. I realize this type of inspiration i'm hoping for is not actually tangible, the Bible is inspired in a way which is Holy, I don't think anything can be inspired in the same exact way... but... the celebration is what i'm longing for.

Grandpa was lucid and humorous while i was there. He joked about Grammy shaving his face off and enjoyed my stories about Christopher chasing 'our' Groundhog. He even smirked when i told him that Pippin doesn't like wet grass. His smile is amazing! And even though I wish I could create the perfect environment for him, I share his hope. Grandpa has experience the illumination of the Holy Spirit when ready Scripture. He knows Christ deeply, and even though we don't have conversations about eternity or theology, I am very sure of his quiet confidence; that some day ( hopefully a long way off) Grandpa will be absent from this body and ever SO present with the Lord.

Happy Birthday Home

July 30th marked one year in our first house... the house is about 60 years old but just one as our home. I pulled out some boxes of college books today, and started reading 'An Old Testament Theology' by Bruce Waltke. I literally opened the front cover and started. It was very refreshing! And for the first time, I felt able to absorb it, probably because I wasn't trying to read 4-7 books at once. :) So a quote from today's reading got me thinking... here are some unrefined cogitations:

'Post modernists realize the impossibility of grounding absolute truth on the finite human mind. Unfortunately they do not look to the spiritual virtue of faith in the God of the Bible to resolve the human epistemological predicament.'

What phenomenal understanding of our human limitation (by the postmodernist). How can a human mind fully 'know' anything?

And... i think its Biblical, 'The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork... not the Human mind so much.... oceans, day and night declare Gods glory to us. We know of God's existence not by the greatness of our minds but by His creative work.

Similarly we argue rational apologetic not because we create anything profound on our own but by previous information from which we conclude. Just as we learn to speak as children not by the creation of words in our minds but by God's creation of the Father and Mother who tirelessly say the simplest words over and over.

And so the postmodernist desires to dispel scripture because the mind cannot be its own grounding yet what a lovely compass... pointing north, our mind is not what determines scriptures truth but rather our mind points to something greater than what we can contain, know or impart. For if we can know nothing for certain on our own power, how did it ever come to be, and especially come to be sustained?

The grounding for genuine faith is not in our own mind, or feelings, or even experiences but in the Rock of our salvation. Jesus is the solid foundation from which we draw all truth and light. And when we are sure of anything in our faith, and true believe needs to boldly say it is not that 'I' am sure on my own ability to know or understand but that Christ has made me sure, just as he has saved me.

... And when we are not sure... well for those of us who doubt, there is hope that despite our attempts to understand anything (for doubt is trying to be sure of something in one's own power) there is grace ever-flowing from the way, truth and life.

It is also for this reason that I recently wonder if I should be more careful about the word 'creative'. Can anyone truly be a creator? I believe all new ideas which come to the poet, painter, mathematician, or architect are a manifestation of grace and should be used as a tribute to Him. These gifts are a metaphor of His redemption. He firsts gives to us so that we may become a vessel which yeilds all things to His work and for His Glory.

fits of creative thought

sometimes ideas for blog posts come to me as i lay in bed... around 10:30... 11... 2am. Ususally i pass out as soon as i meet the pillow; but occassionally i have fits of creativity.

last night was like that.

i dont remember any of it now.

I have been slowly working my way into and through the woods behind out house. Slowly because if it mostly unraked leaves, aggressive poplars and poison oak- ugh. But each time i go out I rake my path a little farther, uncover neat plants and trim back branches. I also discovered skunk cabbage... massive amounts of skunk cabbage. This plant literally has the ability to melt through snow, will cause a burning sensation to anyone who eats it without proper preparation, and emits an alarmingly potent odor if the leaves are damaged. ( I learned the first two from the internet) Any recommendations on lessing the crop that is my skunk cabbage?

In other news, my daffodils are blooming along with my puminaria. The almost dead bleeding heart i bought from Walmart last fall is making a comeback, forsithia bloomed over the weekend, tulips are sprouting with paper white(hopefully) irises.... I am sooooooooo excited to have a yard.

oh, and my wonderful husband brought home a gift i have been eyeing for a while-

THE EasyBloom! google it! this wonderful contraption is meant to sit in your garden for 24 hours at a time and monitor plant life, soil chemistry, water levels etc. I am so excited to try it out... although i'm not sure if i can put it out in the rain... hm

more to come from this my small part of the journey.

the art of Blog following and Dixie cups... and a bit about 8th graders

Lately I have realized that technology will pass me by... or has
already. I like reading several blogs... and have followers on my own
blog, yet the advanced skill of blog following has completely alluded
me... is alluded the right word? I can't find the button... seriously,
where do I click.

Tonight I'm in Wisconsin... getting ready for bed, attempting to
prevent further tooth decay (my mouth is madeup mostly of enamel and
metal types) and there on the sink table is a holder containing
abundant amounts of Dixie cups. In case you left earth in the 7os and
just returned, these minuscule paper cups are for disposable use and
have hundreds of designs (designer has wasted time as cups are
DISPOSABLE) anyway, after scrubbing down my dental wonders I grab a
small paper cup covered in pastel sea shells . I fill it with cold
water and down the entire amount in one gulp... I feel so ...
impressive! I fill the cup again three times and amaze my mirror
audience with my ability to chug. The best part comes though when I
complete my water mission and am able to crush the cup with only one
hand... I'm so powerful.

Dixie cups make me feel good... i will not comment at this time on the environmental irresponsibility here.

On Thursday I allowed my 8th grade students to google search information about various religions. I encouraged them to look for accredited...legitimate looking sites in order to learn about the faith of Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Muslims and Buddhists. We talked about sacred writings and their creation and the practices of each religion.

It was great... the kids seemed to enjoy learning about what others believed and as we wrapped up on boy called out... "How do we know its true? Really! How do we know Christianity is right and we shouldn't just jump on some other faith too just in case."  I was so excited! 'Yay' I think as i say, "that is an excellent question and one every Christian has to think about. How do any of you know this is true?" A wonderful conversation followed about history, feelings, experiences... defenses of Christianity and I was thankful to have the opportunity to probe the students to think more deeply about their faith.  I prayed hard as I prepared to conclude and then explained, "If we look at the world we cannot not deny a creator, I have yet to hear a convincing argument that defends evolution and the fact that morality is not dead. If we have a creator which religion is His? One stands apart because of it's preposterous hope." (kids look at me as if to say 'you're really weird Mrs. Ripp) "No Really", I say, "all other religions contain lists of practices  and commands for how a human can work their way towards heaven. Those religions have faiths as well but do none have the ridiculous hope that we are saved by grace alone. This is why I believe."

There was more... I don't know how clear I was, but as I prayed I was thankful to be there for that moment. 

May hearts be opened.

   

the 'curse'

I prayed over my dough as it rose today... twice.

I am not even slightly superstitious... sometimes I open umbrellas
indoors for fun. Yet a strange experience ... a continuous
phenomenon... I can't bake. Muffins, oatmeal cookies, pumpkin bread...
these stand in the can collum (sp) ... everything else.... failure. I
mean just about everything. Bread comes out hard or undercooked, salty
or lumpy... regular chocolatechip cookies.are crumbly... and now my
growing insecurity remain to be affecting my casseroles... hard
potatoes crunchy noodles... I have even tried measuring ingredients
super exactly, and reading recipes entirely before beginning.... would
u believe I do actually like baking?!

So maybe its a curse...... ...

Nah