For Tracy

Don't you know that it's very dangerous asking a grandmother for pictures? It's like asking Bruce to explain World War II....you'll get more than you bargained for! This is one of my favorite pictures at the moment. It always makes me smile. Oh, it's Levi...7 and 1/2 months



Now...for the recipe. Here's one of my favorites for kids. Always a winner. And the girls can help.

Snickerdoodles

1 c. Crisco

1 and 1/2 c. sugar

2 eggs

2 and 3/4 c. flour

2 t. cream of tartar

1 t. soda

1/2 t. salt

2 T. sugar

2 t. cinnamon

Mix Crisco, sugar, eggs. Stir together the flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt and add to first mixture. Chill dough (about 30 min to an hour). Roll into balls the size of quarters and roll in the mixture of sugar and cinnamon. The sugar and cinnamon can be mixed up in a small bowl and the girls can help with that part. Place about 2 in. apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes at 400 until lightly browned (you have to watch this to get the timing down for your oven). They need to be still soft when you take them out. They will puff up when you bake them but will flatten out when they cool. If you happen to overbake them, it's OK...they will just be a bit crunchy and they are better when they are chewy. They only stay fresh for a couple of days so put the extras in the freezer and take them out as needed (for rewards, or tea parties). Enjoy!

Unit 1: God and Man

We learn more by looking for the answer to a question and not finding it than we do from learning the answer itself.
- Lloyd Alexander

I don't like to admit that I can't find the answer to something, but I think that I've hit upon one that has me stumped. The more I consider the mind of Christ, the more it brings me to the concept above. Just how can a person be totally divine and totally human? It seems to me, as it seems also to a friend of mine, that we don't consider the humanity of Christ nearly as often or as in depth as is warrented. If we look at Christ and believe that he never sinned (which I do, since that is what is said), then I have to explore the possibility that if he were totally human like me, then the possibility exists for me to also be sinless. Never mind that I've already messed it up, for argument's sake, it is in the realm of possibility.

Now, what did he have going for him that we don't. Granted, he was God in the flesh. But, did he use that to an unfair advantage while he was here? I don't think so. If we grant that notion, then we're helpless. The playing field is definitely not level. And I think the astounding truth that he was sinless living like us in a sinful environment is the only reason he can be our advocate.

Now, to my readers who are steeped in theological argument, you may be going, "Well, duh!", but to the average Christian, I think we pay much more attention to his divinity than his humanness...and we miss something. Something that I feel is very important in the whole redemption issue. I'm just not sure I can put my finger on it.

So when he thought his thoughts, were they generated in a human brain? Did Satan attack him through his thought process like he does us? Jesus was tempted in all ways like we are, or so the Good Book says. The thinking of the tempting thoughts was not the sin. But that seems to ensnare us in ways that it did not ensnare Jesus. I really wish I could know what thought process he used to combat those thoughts. I'm not sure, but I have a theory. Could it be that since he came from being in heaven, he knew what was at stake if he gave in. He knew for a fact the purpose he had in coming and the disappointment it would cause if he gave in. We have a vague concept sometimes of our purpose. But it seems incredibly difficult for us to hold onto it. We have a belief that we will be "selling our birthright" so to speak if we give in, but we are so short-sighted that the here and now seems much more real to us than the other. The other was very real to Jesus.

I will keep thinking about this. Lloyd Alexander, I think you're right. Looking for answers whether we find them or not, is a good thing...but sometimes it can be incredibly frustrating.

No Grace Today

I knew it had to happen. I had to go and open my big mouth that I had never gotten stopped by a policeman since we've moved here, and Bruce had been stopped twice. I think I just mentioned that yesterday to someone with quite a cocky tone to my voice. And yes...I just got a speeding ticket to the tune of $174 courtesy of the Buckley police. Why am I so irritated? I think I'm irritated most because Bruce WAS stopped twice and he was let off. Twice! Why should he have grace, and not me? I just asked him if he told them he was a minister. He said he didn't. Sometimes when I get stopped, I try and cry. But somehow this time, I guess because the policeman was young enough to be my son, I just didn't want to lower myself. And to top it all off...he stopped me in my own neighborhood...I had to park my car with the flashing blue and red behind me in front of my neighbor's house with him outside working on his car! How humiliating. I think I saw a small but obvious smirk dance across his face. He's not getting any homemade cookies from me, I can tell you that.

I'm really irritated. I guess I'm mad at myself mostly. But, it does strike me as odd that I should be so mad about something so obvious. I was speeding. I got caught. I'm not sure at this point that I'm that repentant about it. I'm really sorry that the policeman was there and that I got caught. Somehow I even feel offended. And, to make matters worse, when the cop asked me for my address...I pointed to the house (2 doors away) and said, "I just live right there"...as if somehow proximity to the crime should absolve me. And then, he said, "Well, you know you don't have that address on your license. That is another offence that is $101, but I'm just going to warn you about that. You only have 10 days from the time you move to change your address on your license, you know.". NO, I didn't know that. And thank you, thank you so very much for your mercy. Why can't you just give me a warning on everything? But, I didn't say all that. All I said was, "Well, what else have I done wrong?" (Bruce says I probably shouldn't have said that.)

I shouldn't feel so put out. I was wrong and I got caught. I have to pay a penalty. End of story. But, it seems to me that I have a long way to go with my attitude. I wanted some grace from this guy, but I didn't get it. I feel cheated. I feel like I deserved his grace. Do I feel that way about God? That I deserve his grace. I don't know. I have to think about it.

The Girls

Pat and the girls (I'm the one on the right in case you couldn't tell)

Unthinking faith is a curious offering to be made to the creator of the human
mind.

John Hutchinson

I am privileged to meet every Wednesday with a group of friends as we consider "The Mind of Christ". This is a very deep subject and one worthy of exploration. We began by sharing analogies for our own minds. This proved very interesting...and revealing. Since we shall remain anonymous, I will share some snapshots of the minds that were present:

1. An attic - full of treasured memories, memorabilia, junk, litter, dust, and cobwebs.
2. A sieve - no explanation necessary
3. A stream - flowing from one thought to another
4. A merry-go-round - you know, those thoughts that get in your head and roll around very unproductively
5. A kitchen utensil drawer - everything is in there that you need, you just can never lay your hand on it.
6. A house - with pleasant rooms, peaceful rooms, but sometimes with locked doors
7. A speeding highway - rushing from one thing to the next
8. A Rube Goldberg device - one thought triggering another...and another...and another

As you can see, there was quite a variety. But, the larger question is: Exactly what is your mind? Where is it? Is it your brain? How much control do we have over it? How much of it is conditioned learning? And if we are to "have the mind of Christ" what exactly does that mean? Is that referring to his human mind, or to his "divine mind" or are they the same? And then Paul in Philippians 2 tells us to "Let this mind be in you" and in 1 Cor.2 says that "we have the mind of Christ".

So...if we have it, why aren't we using it more effectively? And what are we doing (or not doing) that's getting in the way? That's a lot of questions. And this was just the introduction! So I'd like to hear from some of you. What is your mind like? Have you got an answer for me that defines the mind? Have you got a good analogy that shows the relationship between the brain and the mind?

We also looked at the "potter and the clay" analogy. (Isa. 64:8; Jeremiah 18:1-10) A good analogy up to a point. I mean, I do consider myself in a different category than a lump of clay. The clay has no say so in the matter. I do. If we were like lumps of clay, then all that God would need to do is mold us...and there we'd be. Just like he wants us to be. But, that doesn't happen and there's probably benefit in that. We're stubborn clay. We resist in this process of molding our minds. Ah...there's the rub. So, as we look at the question of having the mind of Christ, we also are looking at ourselves to try to discover why it is we resist. And can we let go of some of that resistance so that we can be better tomorrow than we were today...one step closer to the vessel God already sees in us.

Here I am joining the Blogosphere. Why am I doing this, I wonder? I'm a science nerd. I don't even like to write really. It's one reason I never went back to get my masters degree...all those papers! YUK! I'm certainly intelligent enough to handle it, I just choose not to. So, here I am...writing. Go figure.

My three daughters all blog and they keep after me to "post". What to write about, I wonder. It took me forever to land on a name for my blog that suited me. But I like it. It's short and to the point. About the title. If there's one word that describes my physical existence, it would be wanderings. My husband Bruce and I will celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary this month. We calculated that in those 30 years, we have changed addresses 15 times. We are a nomadic bunch. Sorry girls. I wanted to put down roots, really I did, but God led us in other directions and in the end, I'm glad about that. Not only have we sampled different cultures within our own country, but we can travel from coast to coast and stay with friends! I hope in the end it has helped you and not hindered you.

But wanderings not only describes my physical journies, but my spiritual journey as well. I feel for those Israelites who wandered for 40 years. I really do. I wander, but it isn't aimless. I do have a focus--it just sometimes seems to lead me in ways I don't understand. So, like Tolkien's quote, I don't consider myself lost--just not realy sure of the exact route to my destination. And for a left-brained science person, it can be a bit unsettling.

So, welcome to my blog. I'm sure I will wander in my choice of subject matter as well. Sometimes serious, sometimes not, but hopefully as my husband says of our life together, "always interesting".

So there girls! I've posted at last. Now you better comment!