GroshLink

I recently became acquainted with the world of CVS Extra Care Bucks (ECB) shopping.  Don't confuse acquainted with obsessed.  I'm only dabbling.  The gist of it is, if you have a CVS Extra Care card (a free card like most grocery stores have) they track your buying habits and periodically send you coupons that most often print on the bottom of your receipts, though sometimes come via email.  Each week CVS offers items for sale and if you buy them you earn ECB.  Sometimes the bucks require a purchase (such as save $4 when you spend $20) and sometimes they are just free bucks (such as $2 off any purchase).  Some clever people have figured out how to leverage these ECB deals and rarely spend more than $2 a week to purchase  scads of items at CVS.  The whole thing has proven too complicated for my mind, but like I said, I've dabbled.  Read on if you want minute details about my bargains. 

Here's what I did recently:

On Saturday, I was discouraged and shared with a sister-in-Christ that I was wondering who is regularly praying for our mission and our family ... 

What a blast!  Last night, Ellen & Hayley cheered the Barnstormers to a victory in the first game of a doubleheader and then paraded the field as part of a reading program sponsored by Millersville University.  Record it in the books as another fun outing w/Phil, Susan and their boys!  Of course the cotton candy, kettle corn, and Turkey Hill ice cream were all good treats :-)

On Sunday, while chatting with Amy, I commented on our family's short supply of Homemade Granola. Amy suggested I step up and make some ... so I enlisted Ellen and Hayley to help me. Now it's mostly gone as I shared some with my parents, Ellen shared some with a friend at school during snack time, Theresa used some in a recipe for granola bars ... and we've all had some to eat at home.

No Way, Jose!

I'm not sure why she latched on to this phrase in particular, but we hear it multiple times a day and it always makes me chuckle. Sometimes it's followed by sleepyhead which in Edenspeak sounds like PeePee head. So please don't be offended if you're on the receiving end of that one. I'd really like to come up with a snappy response; something in the vane of See you later, alligator. After a while, crocodile. If you have a suggestion let me know. You betcha, Juanita is the best I've come up with so far. Sometimes she'll yell No way, Jose! For no reason at all, like she did recently in the lobby at church when a program was going on in the sanctuary. She followed that by singing Ring Around the Rosy at the top of her lungs.

Our Boy is Growing Up. ... Maybe it's because we have no sons in our family that I think of our chicken as our boy, but our boy figured out how to crow this week.  Hayley and Ellen heard him first since they are the ones outside taking care of him every day, but I heard him for myself for the first time on Friday.  It's a pleasant cock-a-doodle-do at this point -- not so loud yet and very occasional.  I suspect that will change. Unfortunately, I think his maturation also includes his personality which has morphed from a gentle, even Eden could hold him, chicken to a typical territorial rooster who pecks at your hands when you reach into his house to change his food and water.  He's also much more difficult to catch if need be.

Friday was a big day for Lucky Fluffernutter.  He visited Mrs. Spickler's second grade class -- the kids who so carefully raised him from egg to hatchling.

Please take a few minutes to read over, reflect upon, and email a friend the link to Melinda Mae’s Missiology.  To tease you here's the conclusion which found deep resonance: 

We would never profess to be solely responsible for building the Kingdom, though honest introspection may reveal more of Melinda Mae’s Missiology in us than we thought. What we need is a Christo-centric missiology, along with a bit of Adam Smit’s conviction which pushes us toward Jesus’ carism and his thorough addressing of people’s needs; a bit of Melinda Mae’s resolve, where we live as if we could eat the whole whale in eighty-nine years; and a bit of Romero’s sobering perspective that rightly sees God as the master builder. Perhaps then this movement will lead to serious renewal for the Church as well as for the world who observes it happening.

May it be so in my way of life as a follower of Christ part of the people of God called engaged in pioneering Faculty Ministry with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship ... my current focus being Central PA and Pittsburgh.  AND how about the Emerging Scholars Network as a monstrous whale to be eaten by a tiny group of friends ;-)  BTW, we now have 2,965 members!

An InterVarsity Faculty Ministry discussion board has been wrestling with Inside Higher Ed's piece Does Academe Hinder Parenthood? Here’s one short summary from the article and a comment [posted by an on-line respondent] with which a colleague of mine kicked off the conversation:

Just finished reading a well conceived review and subsequent blog conversation by Jeffrey Overstreet. Check it out (teaser excerpt below), along with his Litany of Reviews. 

I found We’re wise to look, listen, kneel, pray, an opinion-editorial by a Brethren-in-Christ pastor, in my email box this morning. Quite strong (except for the mispelling of cavalry early on in the piece), I'm still thinking about it as I look at the kitchen trash bag ready to go out of the house, am reminded of the upcoming public comment meeting for the landfill expansion (a construction and demolition waste landfill which sits about a mile down the road from us), and consider how to wisely spend our rebate check in building a deck out of our door to nowhere (note:  currently has a wood fence across it on the exterior). 

Too many things going on ... as I was leaving for basketball the drywall repair man showed up on our porch an hour and 1/2 before he was expected (and it wasn't even confirmed that he was coming today).  It's great to have him working on the house, but now I need to be on-site as Theresa's heading out the door to pick-up Eden. 

On Tuesday, I treated Theresa to her birthday present of a mid-day showing of Prince Caspian and a run to Dairy Queen.  She loved the time out of the house.

We're going to have to rename this thread shortly as over the past two weeks Baby Eden has become a Big Girl.  Eden reminds us this time after time as she's learning to walk to the van while holding mom or dad's hand, to travel down the hall from the kitchen to her bedroom, to go down the basement steps, to sit in her new chair at the table during meals, and to run around our local assembly's lobby area with her walker.

Another quote taken from cultureisnotoptional (cino) is given below. I first encountered material by Wendell Berry while an intern in Franklin & Marshall College's Geology Department the summer after my sophomore year in high school. His Big Picture thoughts brought down to challenges to daily habits and cultural structures are rich and challenging. Take a deep breath and meditate upon these words as they relate to how you understand your work/vocation . . .

Last summer we desired a little more topsoil to fill some low areas which fill with water during storms and create puddles where grass hasn't grown well.  But a few weeks ago when our family discussed the idea of more topsoil to cover the clay on the sandmound, which was only supporting clumps of grass, it seemed so 'out-of-reach' that there was frustration. ... BUT God has provided a gift of topsoil and it's transportation through Brothers-in-Christ from our local congregation.  Praise God!  Note:  We'll share pictures when it arrives sometime next week.

Continuing the conversation found at The Rise of Cosmopolitan Evangelicalism . . . Comment Magazine has an excellent Interview with Timothy Shah, director of The Emerging Evangelical Intelligentsia Research Project, a Senior Research Scholar with the Institute on Culture, Religion and World Affairs (CURA), and Senior Fellow with the Council on Foreign Relations. As an alum of the Pew Younger Scholars Program, I concur that it’s loss is significant. Pray for Emerging Scholars Network (ESN) and Following Christ Conference as part of InterVarsity's Graduate & Faculty Ministry will press forward in this area of significant concern . . .

Franklin Graham's update on China addresses a number of topics including earthquake relief efforts by the Chinese military and partnership with Samaritan's Purse, concerns regarding any law-breaking missionary work in the relationship to the Olympics, and how he deals with the issue of needing to appear perfect during such challenging situations.

Questions such as these have been part of a number of situations over the past couple of weeks (Note:  I guess they're always in the background if they're not in the foreground).  By the providence of God, Brethen-in-Christ World Missions encourages Missions Affiliates to read of William Backus & Marie Chapian's Telling Yourself The Truth:  Finding Your Way Out of Depression, Anxiety, Fear, Anger, and Other Common Problems by Applying the Principles of Misbelief Therapy. I have found some particular sections helpful in a number of conversations, including some with myself :-)

Into Great Silence was worth the wait. It took 16 years for the filmmaker to receive permission to receive access to film the Grande Chartreuse in the French Alps and about 2 years after hearing about the project for me finally see the film, along with the Bonus Material in full. Thank-you to Netflix, even with all the hassles regarding instant video and only having one CD out at given time. 

I ended up making a 1-day trip to donate the 95 Windstar and recieve the '95 Subaru Legacy.

AND it appears that the minivan, with a little work, will fit the needs of a family in 'da Burgh. Praise God! The joy expressed by the car ministry staff in enabling our family to be as effective as possible in the mission of reaching the campus with the Gospel reminded me of the awesome responsibility of the task at hand, the privilege to be about pioneering new areas in InterVarsity Christian Fellowship's Graduate and Faculty Ministry, and that the people of God never minister alone.

Thank-you to each and everyone who has stood with us in prayer, encouragement, and financial support.  Your concern for us to have the best resources possible is a great blessing.  We rejoice in advance for God's provision through His people as we approach the birth of a little one and fiscal year end in June.

Thank-you to Miller who just passed along a treasure trove of on-line audio resources from the Chesterton House —a Christian Studies Center affiliated with Cornell University designed to help students think critically and Christianly on life, learning, and culture. Some presentations include:

J. Richard Middleton, April 5, 2008
"In the Beginning God Created the Heavens and the Earth: Responsible Interpretation of Genesis 1 in Ancient and Contemporary Contexts"
Graduate Christian Fellowship Roundtable

One of my new Facebook friends is also a Dr. Who fan. His childhood story of trying to build a TARDIS out of a refrigerator box was inspirational and reminded me I hadn't taken the time to watch Season 27, Episode 1.  So instead picking up episodes here and there, e.g., I've already seen Season 27, Episode 2, I turned to my Netflix instant movie feature to check it out.

Nice to meet you Rose.  Run for your life.

I always knew there were dangerous plastic mannequins.  Where is my sonic screwdriver and TARDIS?  They both still look quite handy from escaping death & danger while saving a world.  Maybe they'll arrive at Christmas, until then I'll rely upon the few sidekicks which have saved me from numerous close calls with a variety of concerns :-) 

Once I can travel through space and time I'll take a trip, but return before anyone misses me. ... What does all that life experience do to relationships with those whom I leave behind?  Of course, I can just have my memories cleared ;-)

PS.  Anyone have comments on Doctor Who since the restart?  Convince this Tom Baker fan, who likes to wear long scarves, and enjoy time with Theresa, Hayley, Ellen, Eden (and one coming shortly) to invest his time which cannot really be reclaimed.

We rejoice in Allegheny Center CMA's (ACAC) continuing concern for our family and investment in our ministry.*  On Tuesday, I'll be traveling out to 'da Burgh in our gold/beige 1995 Windstar, can you believe it's still running?  I'll donate the minivan to the car ministry. It will be used for parts or overhauled for use by a family in need of such a vehicle.

I'll return home in a blue 1995 Suburu Legacy with 121,852 miles. Pray for many miles to come as the legacy's primary use will be my various responsibilities with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and short trips around town to save wear/tear on our blue 2002 Windstar, also recieved through the ACAC car ministry. Praise God for the sharing of skills, gifts, and materials in common!  The Upside-Down Kingdom bringing things right-side up. 

*We were members of ACAC when we lived and ministered in Pittsburgh.

Below is a quote which resonated with me as by God's grace, I prepare for the birth of our fourth child [Happy Mother's Day to Theresa!] and continue to lay the foundation for Mid-Atlantic faculty ministry. For your prayerful reflection as you consider the week(s) ahead:

This morning was a good morning of yard sale-ing (i.e. the act of visiting yard sales).  One time I told someone I went yard-sale-ing and they thought it was some kind of new sport.  In a way, maybe, it is.  I prefer the development yard sales b/c you can hit more than one in one trip and they tend to have newer items.  I suppose that may be the one thing developments are good for.  Ooh, sorry if I offended anyone.  To the uninitiated, allow me to share a few yard sale-ing tips.