Just a reminder...

If you are washing a car with your 8 year old and he accidentally fills the bucket with plain water and you say, "dump the whole thing"...make sure he understands that you mean the bucket of water and not the container of soap that's going into the water.

I speak from soapy experience.

Yay, Minky!

Minky had his 2nd progress check with his vision therapist yesterday. His visual processing speed and ability have increased tremendously over the last 30 weeks of therapy and his tracking ability is nearly where it should be. At his recent school conference, he was at or just above beginning 2nd grade levels for his reading and writing.

The doctor told me that one of the tests in particular had amazing results. Last July, he was unable to complete the entire test, took 110 seconds to do what he could do, and had 40 errors. Yesterday, he completed the entire test in less than 60 seconds and had no errors!

He's made a great deal of progress in the last 6+ months. Next week, we will be transferring his care to another vision therapist whose office is nearer to us. The new doctor is a close friend of our current doctor and is one of the leading vision therapy specialists in the nation. We are deeply grateful that our doctor was able to get us onto this patient load!

How Do We Begin to Explain Some Things?

Our congregation's oldest member, Sweet Lady, is preparing to die. Rapidly throughout this week, her condition has continued to fail. I feel honored and lucky to have known her. She is a precious lady.

Yesterday, with her consent, the family gathered around her as we prayed the Service for the Commendation of the Dying. Afterward, she held my hand and told me she loved me, she prayed and hoped Jerusalem would continue to treat me well, and she blessed my ministry. It was a tearful, holy ground moment. Then she smiled as best she could, looked in my eyes, and said, "Now you come see me sometime when I die, ok?" Sense of humor and vast love to the end.

After the Good Friday service, I stopped by again to see how the family was holding up and how Sweet Lady was doing. She was sleeping peacefully and the tearful family was watching Sound of Music on the television. After visiting awhile, we prayed together. I began with the words, "Oh God, sometimes the waiting is difficult. We compel you to continue to usher Sweet Lady into your kingdom..." Right after those words, the Von Trapp children chimed in, "So Long! Farewell! Auf wiedersehen, Goodbye..."

So Where's My Servant?

On Thursday, the kids had spring break. Since Holy Week is upon us, they came to work with me and hung out in the youth room while I worked. We brought some strawberries along with us for a snack...here's the conversation that transpired in the church kitchen:

Me: Here's a bowl to rinse the strawberries in, and here are bowls for each of you. Make sure you bring them back to the kitchen and clean them when you're done.

Minky: Why?

Me: Because we need to clean up after ourselves.

Minky (matter-of-factly): Why can't your servants do it?

Me: My servants?

Minky: (again, matter-of-factly) Yeah...all pastors have servants....why can't your servants clean up the mess?

Me: Minky, I do not have servants.

Minky (rolling his eyes in complete and utter disbelief): Mom...I know that pastors have servants...c'mon.

Maybe that candidacy psychologist knew what she was talking about...

I was just surfing around, catching up on friends' blogs and I came across this link on Jim's now deceased blog. He's more Lutheran than I - I think he scored in the 90s. Then again, he's in the midst of his final term at the Castle and is taking a course on Lutheran Church History. All the questions about Lutheran churches and their related initials hurt the score.

Oh, the candidacy quip? Well...when I was undergoing my psychological evaluation, the church's psychologist said she didn't think I was very Lutheran because I tested out as an ENFP. Somehow, I mustered up the courage to diplomatically share with her that I found her statement troubling because I've been a Lutheran all my life. She stated that the Lutheran church is made up primarily of ISTJs and that, with all my passion and enthusiasm, I might want to consider Pentecostalism. No joke.

You are 84% Lutheran! This is most certainly true.

Not a perfect score. What does this mean? You have room for growth in understanding Lutheran terminology and culture. Good thing Salvation is by Grace and not by merit. We can add nothing to what God has done for us in Christ Jesus. But it never hurts to learn a little more about the church on earth. Thanks for taking the quiz!

How Lutheran Are You?
Create a Quiz

Hello? Bueller....Bueller....Bueller...

I just realized nobody has commented on my last 5 posts. Have you all abandoned me or are you all speechless? I know most of you love to talk. Are you out there?

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

It can't be possible. C'mon. No way. This morning, Minky was diagnosed with strep and a possible ear infection. Once again, I worked from home (at least I wrote all my Holy Week sermons). Will my kids ever be consistently healthy?!

Oh, and while I was home, I received our insurance settlement for Sony's recent tonsilectomy. Ends up we owe the hospital $858 in "co-insurance." I need a shot of tequila.

Random Acts of Kindness

Minky and I were on our way home from Vision Therapy (a 3 hour drive each way). Tired and hungry, we pulled into a truck stop to grab a bite to eat at the Subway-inside-a-gas-station. A trucker was ahead of us in line and when he got to the cash register, he looked at Minky and said, "That little boy looks like he could use a cookie. Y'all want a cookie lil' fella?" Minky looked at me hesitantly and I said it was ok. The trucker not only bought one cookie - he purchased all the rest of the cookies in stock! Sometimes it's the little things that restore your faith in humanity.