GroshLink

Pray for the focus and creative energy to write for the ESN blog. Thank-you to Miller for this inspirational piece by which to begin the day.

For those of you who don't track w/us on Facebook:  Grove City's historic Wendell August Forge destroyed by fire (3/6). Theresa and I both enjoyed hanging out there w/our families back in the day, when we were young ;-)

Joseph Pisano has an extensive report with pictures, here. Pittsburgh Post Gazette's article is here ... HT: Lynn for word on seeing the smoke from campus, Crystal for the link to Joseph's post, and Angel for the Post's article.

After Eden's fabulous birthday party,* I headed over to Verizon to upload Theresa's contacts to her new phone** and revert to my old cell phone.  As some of you know, my new cell phone took a bath the other evening.  Since that time it has received prayer and sat in a bag of rice.  This morning it had no life and I consigned myself to it's death. 

But at the Verizon booth, the manager gave it one final look and it came to life. Hallelujah! Prayers and human efforts received recognition. The little things in life, ministry, and communication are a great encouragement.  So I'm ready for you to give me a call while according to NBC I watch Lindsey Vonn and Julia Mancuso in the super-G. Plus, U.S. speedsters (live ET/CT) on tracks both short (Apolo Ohno, 1000m) and long (Shani Davis, 1500m) or The Office: Season 3 (if Theresa prefers). 

PS.  Did you pick up free Aunt Annie Pretzels today? I made two runs with the twins, enabling us to pass along treats to the whole family :-)

*Praise God for Eden's moving around so well and making so much progress as she turns five on February 22!  It was great to watch her in the pool at today's birthday party. 

**Because I didn't have her old phone with me when I came across the time to walk through a good deal on phone upgrade.

Do you eat some/all of The 7 foods experts won't eat (Liz Vaccariello, Prevention, 11/24/2009)? Is it because the concerns expressed in the article are

1. news to you, at least some of the concerns and now you'll reconsider.
2. unfounded, i.e., scare stories.
3. probably valid but not enough to break an old habit, maybe one that is only occassionally practiced.
4. valid, but appear to be a financial necessity which can't be avoided.
5. a mix of the above.
6. other ...

I confess that we consume some of the The 7 foods experts won't eat, falling under 3 and 4.  Peeling the apples ...

 

What do you think about the findings shared in Why Puppy Love Matters for Parents? Any advice for us as our twins approach their teenage years?  Thoughts on courting, particularly as it crosses over in higher education in settings far away from parents (potentially both sets of parents)?  Happy Valentines Day ;-) HT: National Center for Fathering.

An inspiration. ... come visit my library/booktable to be blessed by the opportunity to chat about a book, to check something out of library, or pick something out of the booktable.  Maybe some day I can visit Al Mohler's study. HT: Miller.

Confession: Stopped watching the Super Bowl due to

1. already having seen the well crafted Focus on the Family Commercial ... for more of the story visit http://www.focusonthefamily.com/... May Timmy continue to walk in Christ and be a good role model, using his sports platform to preach.  What a joy to hear in the interview the affirmation
   
   1. no perfect parents
   2. the value of short term missions for the education of the youth who are being sent
   3. babies are not a mistake
   4. pregnancy crisis centers are available to serve those in need
   5. the Gospel brings life
2. lack of interest in the halftime show by Who? performing what? from when? why? you know where ;-)
3. indifference to the teams playing, what happened to 'da Stillers?
4. the need to return Office: Season 2 to the library on Monday. 

Caught up on many, but not all of the, commercials at http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/07/super-bowl-ad-watch-a-look-at-the-other-side-of-tonights-game/ ... but back to the question, what was/is your favorite Super Bowl Commercial?  And you don't have to pick the one below ;-)  Maybe it's google or coca-cola.  Personally, I'd prefer the opportunity to get pants than walk around in underwear, but I wasn't so big on the Dockers commercial.

1 (plus a little extra) t. yeast
1 1/2 c. warm water
2 T. sugar
1 1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 T. solid shortening
3 3/4 c. flour (I usually use 1 c. whole wheat and the rest bread flour)
1/2 t. pepper

Put all ingredients into breach machine pan and set to dough setting. After 5 min. check to see if it needs more flour or water. This makes enough for 2 pizzas.

Note: originally posted by Theresa as a note on Facebook.

1 c. plus 2 T. water (70-80 degrees)
3 c. all-purpose flour
3 T. brown sugar
1 1/2 t. active dry yeast
2 qts. water
1/2 c. baking soda
coarse salt

In bread machine pan, place the first four ingredients in order suggested by manufacturer. Select dough setting (check dough after 5 min. of mixing; add 1-2 T. water or flour if needed).

When cycle is completed, turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Divide dough into eight balls. Roll each into a 20 in. rope; form into pretzel shape. In a saucepan, bring water and baking soda to a boil. Drop pretzels into boiling water, two at a time; boil for 10-15 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon; drain in paper towels.

Place pretzels on greased baking sheets. Bake at 425 for 8-10 min. or until golden brown. Spritz or lightly brush with water. Sprinkle with salt. Yield: 8 pretzels. 

Note: I think these taste comparable to Auntie Anne's. For extra richness, brush with melted butter instead of water and then sprinkle with salt. You can also make these much smaller than the recipe directs.

Note: originally posted by Theresa as a note on Facebook.

On Friday I'm participating in a phone focus group on the development of a Bible based upon the Jesus Storybook Bible. Looking forward to it. It's provoked some thought on what to look for when purchasing/reading a children's Bible.  Hoping to assemble these thoughts together over the course of the next several days.  If you have recommendations, let me know.

I think I've been expending too much non-renewable time/energy with Facebook.  I'm going to explore developing a feed from Groshlink over to Facebook.  Testing. ... Let's see how it goes ;-)  I'm interested in your comments/thoughts.

In case you haven't already heard. ...

"Zonderkidz, the children’s division of Zondervan, is interested in talking to people who have used The Jesus Storybook Bible. Please complete this very short questionnaire to indicate your interest in participating in a one-hour phone and web-based focus group about The Jesus Storybook Bible. Participants will receive an honorarium. We have a limited number of spots available for the focus group so please reply by Thursday, January 14 if you would like to be considered for participation. We look forward to hearing from you." -- Survey.

Note: The focus is on parents of kids from 7-12 years old. I'll be participating. Can't wait to share our family's appreciation for The Jesus Storybook Bible and how its resources might be developed/shared even more :-)

PS.  I have several posts which touch upon or focus upon The Jesus Storybook Bible:

• Advent/Christmas Resource: He's Here - Jesus Storybook Bible
• Come quickly, Jesus!
• Heaven breaks through
• It's amazing, so amazing, it's amazing how one man gets around
• Praise for time of rest and prayer for more
• Passing on the faith

Theresa's feeling much better.  Her neck is still a little stiff, but better each day.  The prayers and gifts of food/childcare provided by many have been a great blessing and expression of the people of God in shared life/ministry.  What a blessing and testimony to our family, friends, and acquaintances.  To God be the glory! 

Continue to pray for full healing.  On Monday, Tom will begin picking up ministry responsibilities beyond limited emailing, posting, and teleconferencing.  If you've been wondering whether or not to contact him, feel the green light to do such on Monday.

A brother in Christ shared The Wexford Carol (Yo-Yo Ma and Alison Krauss) as an encouragement and expression of his thankfulness for our relationship.  I pass it along to my beautiful wife Theresa on our 14th Anniversary. 

Let it snow like it did in 1996 so we can be snowed in to celebrate the 12 days of Christmas.  Note:  I like the light covering for this year, let's go for being snowed in next year when we take time away to celebrate our 15th Anniversary ;-)

Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always. -- I Chronicles 16:11

Thomas has been faithfully posting updates on my progress but here's the whole story in one place, straight from the "horse's mouth."

A few weeks ago my sister-in-law, Amanda, discovered a lump on my neck while practicing a health assessment for her nursing class.  That sent me to the doctor the next day where I had blood work done to check my thyroid function and an ultrasound on the thyroid the next day.  The bloodwork came back normal but the ultrasound showed a significant sized lump on the right side of the thyroid.  I met with a surgeon a few days later and after he presented the options to me I felt most comfortable deciding to have surgery to remove the lump.  Which is what he did yesterday (1/4).  The pathologist in the Operating Room examined the tissue and declared it benign which also meant that I was able to keep the entire left half of my thyroid.  I'll have blood work done in a few weeks to check thyroid function but the surgeon feels pretty confident that I won't need medication.

I'm feeling pretty good, one day post-op.  It's certainly an easier surgery/recovery than a c-section.  I have some swelling which makes swallowing painful and I'm moving slowly.  I didn't sleep well in the hospital so I've been trying to catch up on sleep since I arrived home today.  The kids seem to be doing very well.  They came to visit me in the hospital Monday night and Eden was quite unsure about entering my room.  She stayed in the hallway with daddy until she was confident enough to venture into my room to play with the buttons on my bed.  My mom took off work yesterday and today to watch Eden and Lily and others are helping us out the rest of the week.  Tom has been mom, dad, and nurse and will surely need a break too soon :)  But he's been great.

Thanks for all the prayers and offers to help.  We've been well-cared for and are much relieved to have a good report.  Praise God!

Theresa is home.  And she is not only feeling quite good, but also looking quite good.  How much can one ask for?  Praise God! 

The girls are going to be so excited when they see her.  Thank-you to all the extended family and friends who are helping our family stay up and running through prayer, time, gifts, meals, encouragment, watching/transporting the girls, and more.  You are a great blessing and witness to the reality of the love of God.

Theresa returns to see the physician in 3 - 4 weeks.

By God's grace and the gifts of the people of God, our house is in order and ready to run through this week as Theresa recovers (Note: we're starting to give attention to next week). 

Lord willing, I'll pick up Theresa from the hospital without complications late morning/early afternoon. She looked really good when the whole family visited last night & the kids played w/the bed controls. Pray for Theresa's continued rest/refreshment/rejuvenation/healing at home.

I'm back in the room w/Theresa. She's doing well and resting a lot after the thyroid surgery. 

The lump on/in the right side of the thyroid was not cancerous, as such she was able to retain part of the thyroid and may not require supplements/medications.  Praise God for the able hands of those who are caring for her, the favorable pathology report, the gift of recovery, family/friends who are providing for a number of basic needs.  Pray for Theresa to receive her much needed rest/refreshment during her stay.

    -- Posted in Theresa's room w/free WiFi Access (a beautiful tool to communicate updates which cost $ when I was stuck in airports a little over a week ago). What a joy to wait upon the Father w/the Word, Spirit & the people of God in a quiet place with my beautiful wife.  Time to turn back to giving Theresa, my beautiful wife of 14 years (1/6/1996), my full attention.

In Waiting for Jesus to Show Up, I mention the encouragement I received from G.P. Taylor's Shadowmancer (Note: CT Author interview).  More later. ...  For today, let me add that Hayley loves Taylor's Doppleganger Chronicles. Yes, here's one case of a reluctant reader spurred on by illustra-novella (i.e., mixture of prose, comic sequentials, and graphic illustrations). I'm hoping to check out the 2nd volume shortly, but that requires a run to Quarryville (i.e., the only Lancaster County library w/this September 2009 release in stock).  I think it's worth it for both of us, as we read a fair amount of it together and well-written children's books deal with major life themes in such a helpful manner ;-) 

In the mean time, Hayley's reading the 1st volume again. Amazing!  Anyone else reading the Doppleganger Chronicles?  More of my thoughts on the author, his books, and their impact in our household coming. ...

Check out ESN's Week in Review: Last Minute Shopping Edition.

As we journey through Advent, I particularly appreciated Mike's inclusion of the link to the WSJ Opinion piece Seen and Not Heard in Church. If the topic of the realities/value of intergeneration worship is of interest to you, as it is for our family, be sure to read the article and skim the comments.  Some of our thoughts coming. ...

Hoping to get out of the house to see a great sports film which has much more to say about the inner journey of leaders who are willing to take risks in a larger context.  Yes, I have high expectations of Morgan Freeman in this story of reconciliation and self determination directed by none other than Clint Eastwood.* 

In addition to a critique of being master of one's fate and captain of one's soul, I'm also very interested in the reviews, history/testimonials, and the feedback, e.g., NY Times Review (A. O. Scott, Final Score: Future 1, Past 0, December 11, 2009). 

*I must confess that based upon the footage and some of the feedback on the NY Times Review, I have lower expectations of Matt Damon. 

So what happens to all that you share with (and on) Facebook? I recently came across 5 Ways to Stay Safe and Private on Facebook, a summary of the excellent NY Times article, 5 Easy Steps to Stay Safe (and Private!) on Facebook, and was inspired to spend some time upgrading my account while watching The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.

Brad Pitt as Jesse James
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Advent musing:  As we enter the happy holiday season, what friends and family do you trust and how much?  Take a moment to consider how you express the love and the good news which was given for (but not understood or accepted by) many created in the very image of the One bearing Life.  How can Facebook be an avenue (at times a first step) to give testimony to the Light instead of an avenue to encourage the darkness?   

Yesterday, we brought the Advent/Christmas materials down from the attic. How great it was for the girls to have off school, due to deer hunting season, enabling them to have a morning peeking into the manger set (Eden said, "Thank-you so much mommy!"), opening children's books, and joyfully decorating the house. 

So Advent readings on Sunday, decorations on Monday, Advent Calendar on Tuesday.  Hope you didn't start you 24 day Christmas Countdown 2 days early ;-)  If so, it's really no big deal, just add another box or two ... BTW, I've seen sites to make your own on-line.  Anyone use an on-line Advent calendar or a computer program w/graphics?  If so, please forward me info/links.  I'm interested in learning more about these possibilities.

Personally, how am I dealing with all the hustle and bustle?  I found a quiet place for Following the Star before digging into some serious office work. Still resting in and meditating upon yesterday's text:

He said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. -- 1 Kings 19:11-12

May you find this telling of the story a blessing to be shared among family, friends, members of your local congregation, neighbors.  As I've mentioned in early posts (e.g., Come quickly, Jesus!) our whole family has been blessed by the The Jesus Storybook Bible.  We'll be reading it several more times in the coming years as the children grow.

Lots to share from our time in Austin, TX, for Scott & Andrea's wedding.  For those who have been waiting for some Wedding pictures.  Here are a few of my favorites (click on them to see them in larger form).  More pictures coming, along with some stories/reflections.