Beauty From Ashes

What if?

2010-04-13T09:48:00.000-07:00

Have you ever watched the sky as a blanket of darkness creeps down from the heavens. Have you ever thought that the world was being tucked in? What if the night sky is really an old warn blanket that our loving creator has pulled over us every night. Every night since that first night. It's an ancient bed time ritual almost as old as the world itself. The proud Papa snuggling it's new baby up in warmth. Maybe even tucking the hem of his own magnificent robe around us for safekeeping.

After ages and ages the blanket that is lovingly placed around us each night has grown thin and threadbare, worn from love. So now as we gaze at the night sky we can't miss the brilliant glowing gems. You always believed in some mumbo jumbo about planets and light reflecting. Really that is the myth.....really the truth is that the blanket has grown so threadbare that you can not help but be in awe of the glory of our Father shining through that worn material.

Addie!

2010-01-25T23:21:00.000-08:00

I really cannot get enough of this video! She is just way too cute!
I hope that it blesses you!

Meli

Why?

2009-10-03T21:55:00.000-07:00

Why do I find it so hard to care for those people that I most care for? And that I show the most care for those I really don't care for?

I know that I should explain a little....You all can't be in my head and see what I am thinking. But why is it that I worry so often about what strangers and acquaintances think. Often doing my little dance to make sure their life is made easier or at least not inconvenienced by me. But the ones I love the most, the ones I absolutely cherish I can treat with such indifference, not wanting to be inconvenienced myself.

This is one of the many reasons I know that I am truly broken........

Meli

Fairmont

2009-09-22T23:30:00.000-07:00

Just two short days ago I was swimming beneath in a beautiful, roaring, warm waterfall. We are so blessed.

Some friends invited us to their condo and into their treasured family vacation. What generosity and trust they must have in us. It can be difficult to share you personal family time with others. There are times when it might be better to not have outsiders watching your every move(like when my hubby and I were loudly conversing in the bathroom). And it can be a daunting task to take on a huge family like ours. Then there are those moments when you haven't had your morning cup of clarity.

Thank you for grace, Please Lord give us more!!!

Thank you dear friends for having us. For sharing with us, for enduring those "transition" times and most of all for trusting us with your family. We had a wonderful time!

While in Fairmont we hiked the Hoodoos. We took in the Panorama and yes as I mentioned before we swam in a waterfall. This was not just any waterfall. It was a sculpture formed by the very hands of God. I have to say that it was one of the highlights of my life to swim there on that cold September morning. My little boy beaming because even in his young years he knows that this experience doesn't come along very often. My big girl doggie paddling all around and very excited when she finds a smaller pool adjacent to the big one and now it will be forever called "Emmie's Hot tub".

Our son's new business venture.

An old Kafflen tradition becomes a new Kafflen tradition...

Hiking the Hoodoos (this years Christmas card pick?)

TROUBLE!!!

The twins with daddy Dan?

God's gift!

The littles not having so much fun....

He wanted to come in...then changed his mind.

Headed home

Meli

What's next?

2009-09-15T13:16:00.000-07:00

Well America has sunk to a new low in our obsession with our pets. We've gone from dressing our little dogs now we are dressing our cows!!!! Have a blessed day!

Yes folks I witnessed it myself.....=)

Meli

Reality check

2009-09-14T23:25:00.000-07:00

I over heard a woman tonight. No, I was not eavesdropping..... she was just talking very loudly. She was telling a gentleman with her that she had just had a heart attack a few months earlier. She then proceeded to tell him that she had never felt better and that she thinks that everyone should have a heart attack. Of course at the time it was just such a sad, strange, comment that I just shook my head and moved on.

But much later as the house was quiet and I was trying to repair the damage of the day. I really got to thinking about her comment. In reality I'm sure that she just meant that everyone needed a wake up call. We get them occasionally in life. Sometimes they are earth shaking, heartbreaking trials. Other times we may be blessing enough to over hear a strange comment or witness a loved one struggle, and that is all we need.

Lord, let my eyes be open to others lessons. Maybe to spare myself the labor of learning them. If it were only that easy. Some how I always think that it would never happen to me until it does......

After we have been in the fiery furnace would we really go back? Sometimes I say yes. I remember thinking in my time of sorrow that I would give anything to just take that moment away. I'm sure that there are those that have lost a loved one that would not hesitate to say yes.

But just think what gifts would we have to give up to go back?

Meli

Friday Fun

2009-09-11T21:27:00.000-07:00

I know that I am a total copy cat but why reinvent the wheel. I've seen this done on some other blogs.... It is such a great idea. All you parents know that kids say the craziest things sometimes so it's always fun to keep track and pass on.

Owen speak:

walmarts = almonds

"Mom you give me more walmarts?"

lemonade = vitamins

"Mom you get me a lemonade?"

Emmie said, "Mom I have figured out why kids like school so much."
Me, "why is that?"
"It's because of free time."
Me, "That is the only part you like?"
"Well yeah, except for math, I like math."
Me, "what about art?"
"Yeah I like that to."
Me, "You like history."
"Yeah that's ok"
Me, "So you really like all kinds of things at school."
No answer.

Free time, huh?

Meli

What I learned in Kindergarten

2009-09-08T17:49:00.000-07:00

Most of us have seen some kind of cute little book or poem about you learn everything that you needed to really know in kindergarten. Well this is a bit different. This is my second time in Kindergarten and I'm am learning all sorts of interesting thing! My first week I learned:

1. I am a box checker. I feel compelled to check the box. If I have a list I get a joyful feeling from marking an item off my list. Sometimes this is a good thing. However, as I'm starting this new homeschooling adventure it might not be so great. You see we have a prepackaged curriculum. They give you all of the materials and tell you what to do every step of the way. Great! Well not so great if a ton of the material in review for dear children. And then there is me the box checker that feels I have to actually do part of said activity to check off the box, I mean we couldn't be dishonest....

2. The best teaching moments will have nothing to do with school work. I'm so thankful that I still get to be there for all of the big moments.

3. Children become most interested the second you put something out of reach or off limits. I have been putting the littles in the living room with a baby gate blocking them out of the kitchen while we do parts of school. I have to say that it is getting better but they still spend an awful lot of time standing at the gate crying for me....the kids.....food....milk....anything really.

Meli

The First Week!

2009-09-04T20:39:00.000-07:00

Well we did it! We have officially been homeschooling for three days now. We did two lessons in one day so tomorrow Saturday we will finish our first week. We are learning a lot. Mostly about each other and just plain life, but the school side of it has been fun for the kids. I'm a little concerned that it won't be challenging enough for Emmie. But in a way it does make it so that AJ can participate with us for everything. We'll have to see in the coming weeks whether it is just to basic or if it will hold her attention.

The first day was Tuesday and it was mostly a day of fun and to just get used to the routine. The kids got their school shirts (the big surprise, that they weren't really all that excited about). We had a healthy breakfast to give our brain a boost. We went for a quick ride/walk to the park to get our blood pumping. Although, they were riding and I was walking so I think that my blood was pumping a bit more than theirs.

We then came home and got to work. Everyday we have planned that we will start off with bible study time. The first day I used this time to introduce our rules. We have only one rule here at
The Kafflen House Christian Academy....Be Fruity! Galatians 6:22-23 says, "But the fruits of the spirit are; love, joy, peace, patience kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against these there is no law." Be fruity all you like as for everything else sorry...

Here is the kids with their fruit basket.

We did do a little actual school work. We practiced our sounds and wrote in our journal. We ended the day with hanging in the living room reading from our history book. I found this great set of history books called the The Story of The World. It starts at the with nomads and works it's way forward. We have already studied Nomads and then how they turned into farmers. We learned about mummies and pyramids. It's a great study. It is not very detailed but it gives them a good start to world history. I have to say that I am learning a ton!

Well so far so good. I didn't finish this post Friday night when I started it. So it is now Saturday. This morning we had school outside sitting in the yard on blankets! That is a true perk if homeschooling. Here are a couple more pic of the kids practicing their letters.

AJ's D word.

I told Emmie to write a word that started with E.
Eagle is what she came up with.

Meli

!!!!!$&%$WARNING$#&%^&!!!!!!!!!!

2009-09-04T16:21:00.001-07:00

I have to warn all of you that are even considering reading this blog. I can't go on until I confess.... I am a horrible speller and my grammar makes my husband cringe. I know what you thinking...yes I am the one teaching my very impressionable young children. I know, pretty scary! I have to admit that one of my hopes in this whole homeschooling thing is that I will learn much more than I did the first time around.

So just consider yourself warned as you read... Please have grace for me. I guess that I am a product of public school system hence one of the reasons I homeschool.

May God protect my children from my bad habit. But at least I know what I'm getting them into. Hopefully they will take after their father Mr English Major.

Meli

Homeschooling?

2009-08-30T22:18:00.000-07:00

Yes, yes, we are homeschooling.....when is another question. It seems that our first day might never come and I'm nervous that when it does it can't possibly live up to my expectations.

OK back up.

We where supposed to start last Monday but we were not ready. So we pushed it back to Friday.....still not ready and really it isn't all my fault we don't have our curriculum. Hoping that the materials would come Sat. so we could get a great start on Mon. But No. Not to mention the fact that we have been having huge printer problems so the big surprise that Emmie is waiting for is not ready. I'm exhausted and it hasn't even started yet.

So yes we are homeschooling, it's just now when that is in question. I sat down and talked with B tonight and I really liked his advice. We only have the first day once so I should make it all that I wanted it to be for them. Thanks hubby. I feel better. So even thought it is the logical thing to do to start tomorrow. Nope throw logic out the window. We are starting Tuesday.... I hope.

Meli

Hijacked.....

2009-08-29T23:55:00.000-07:00

So honey I've hijacked your blog. Well, at least I asked for permission. Bk started this blog a while ago and with good intentions. But life happens and here we are months later and not a new post in sight. I liked his title and I liked the colors he picked so.... Honey can I have your blog. He said yes.

I'm not sure what kind of blog this will be. I like all kinds of things. It could be really spiritual and uplifting, about cooking, funny kids stories, dark and cynical, home schooling? My guess is that it will be a mix. I just like the thought of having something of my very own.

Welcome,
Meli

Surfing the "Blogger-sphere"

2008-12-04T13:57:00.000-08:00

Ever just clicked the "next blog" feature on your Blogger page? I never had, so off I trekked and here are some of the pages I saw and people I "met". Enjoy...

(Have a language translation program up and ready to go; or, fake your way through it, like me!)

A wife, her new baby, and a deployed husband

Stocks, and the Art of Selling Short (of which I still have no clue about)

The Adventures of Cheesy, Curly, and Small Fry (an alias family name?!? Me likee...)

Insurance, in all its Glory!?!

A Mom's Attempt to Keep Her Children Alive despite Food Allergies

A Swedish/Norwegian Family's Life in Luanda, Angola

A German Photographer's Work of His Family

A Japanese Woman's Life in MA, USA

South Elgin High School's (South Elgin, IL) Photography Program

A Brazilian Wonders, "What Would Jesus Buy?"

and on and on....

I'd love to have you comment on where you go and whom you meet...

Please Fight FOCA

2008-11-20T08:48:00.000-08:00

Thomas Nelson Book Review Program

2008-11-16T05:24:00.001-08:00

I've been reading Michael Hyatt's blog lately and read about a new program he's starting where readers can receive free books if they agree to then review the book online.

I chose Stephen Mansfield's The Faith of Barack Obama.

I began reading this book around 3-4 weeks before the election occured and just finished it--with a renewed sense of importance!--this week. To begin, I must state that I'm typically not a reader of biographies. My interest rested in the person of Barack Obama running in what might one of the most crucial campaigns of my generation's lifetime. This piece also interested me because it was about Obama's faith and that was a burning curiosity of mine as I attempted to sort out who to vote for. I'll start this review with some general notes about Mansfield's writing style, choice of biographical stories and events to include, etc. then move into a bit of my opinion about the author's topic, Obama's faith. Stephen Mansfield's writing style was clear and to the point. The book is fairly short, less than 200 pages, and that showed me that Mansfield's choice of topics was laser-like in focus. For example, while He began with Obama's childhood he quickly tied that simple biographical information into Barack's lack of faith as he grew, as well as his sense of detachment from cultural groups. I found his ability to stay on topic refreshing. It kept my attention. Mansfield is not shy about discussing the difficulties Obama has experienced, from the verbal diatribes barraged from him by the Religious Right to the anger the Political Left expressed as Barack worked through certain speeches to express a Centrist approach in politics, and yet the author highlights those moments without inserting his own two cents. I found this to be old-school reporter-like, and again was refreshing. I found Mansfield's best-written chapters to be chapters four, which is about Obama's recent approach to be post-modern in faith and centrist in politicking, and chapter five which delved away from primarily Obama and discussed the faiths of George W. Bush, Hillary Clinton, and John McCain. Both of these chapters were greatly intriguing due to their relevance versues the background of Obama found in the first two-three chapters. As for Obama's faith, which the book proclaims--accurately--to be about, I definitely found my answer to whether Obama is a Christian or not: yes he is. Unfortunately, that answer also elicited many questions as I read, questions like, "How will he reveal his faith as our President? How will his faith play into his day-to-day decision making? How will he encourage or discourage the separation of church and state? How will his post-modern approach affect many persons of faith and of non-faith?" I would recommend this book to others, in fact I already have, if for no other reason than its ability to present important information about our next leader.

Air Travel Tip--Check in Online

2008-11-15T08:52:00.000-08:00

Air Travel Tip One:

Check in online with the air carrier's website even if you can't print out your boarding pass. Even if you show up past the air carrier's time limit for checking in (Horizon's is 30 mins. here in Spokane) the agent can reprint your boarding pass and send you to the gate.

One catch: Be sure you know airline's cut-off for checked baggage. It's usually the same as the boarding pass cut-off time. The problem many passengers have is this: they check in online but then bring a bag up inbetween 30 minutes and departure time. Since we cannot check the bag, we have to rebook the passenger for a later flight even though they are already checked in.

Winter Berries and the Sin-Plant

2008-11-14T13:36:00.000-08:00

I spent a couple of hours yesterday trying to finish getting my yard winterized. I've taken the role over from Meli--who loves the change!--and every time I spent a few minutes out in the garden I come away with a spiritual picture or analogy. This time was no different...

First of though, a cute story. My two oldest kids Emmie (age 5) and A.J. (age 4) were out there helping me cut down Virginia Creeper (or, the Sin-Plant...more to come). They saw the berries on the vines and decided to pull them off for the birds to eat as they migrate south. They grabbed them, looked around for birds, and after not seeing any, starting yelling, "Biiiiiiiiiirds! Biiiiiiiiiiiiiiirds! Get down here, we have winter berries for you! Come on birds.....biiiiiiiiiiirds!" This brought a neighbor lady out and we had a great laugh over Emmie and A.J. and their winter berries.

Okay....back to the analogy. As I'm hacking away at the virginia creeper, I tug and cut and tug and cut and soon I see that some these small vines are so tangled around and around the metal fencing and itself that it's not coming off without some serious muscle on my part. So, I hacked even more, and eventually I pulled a small vine up from UNDER THE GROUND and it brought with it a large root. A baseball bat-sized root.

I thought that it was going to be hopeless to get out....Until I gave it a simple tug. Out it popped! This picture of how sin entangles itself and winds around me at times. And how deceptively wound up in sin I am. See, the plant didn't look that bad when I looked at it from my back porch...and when I got to the base of it, and the root looked all big and bag and scary to try to attack, it was jello in my hands. Easy. No roots....just like sin. It lacks punch against God's amazing power.

Just some thoughts...

Welcome

2008-11-13T11:28:00.001-08:00

Welcome to Beauty From Ashes!

The aim of my blog is to air a voice over the internet that I don't hear from much, that of a former pastor who fell from his position and yet rejoices due to God's redemptive abilities! Too many times I hear of fallen pastors and then they're gone. Poof. We never hear from them again. I plan on blogging my way through this openly enough to be a voice to others but not so much to earn the wrath of my wife!

This blog will be multi-faceted. I plan to post humorous family moments, my struggles as I journey from arrogant self-absorbed living to humilty and brokenness before God, as well as other items such as book/movie reviews, sports thoughts, and anecdotes about travel and the airline industry.

Hope this enriches you. Welcome!