It's Tuesday again - Miriam is 18 weeks old today - but alas, no pictures. :( She has been a little - well, let's just say - "difficult" the past 2 days. I don't know what's up with the child - growth spurt, ear infection (but she was just at the doctor last Friday & doesn't have a fever or signs of illness), or just plain ol' SPOILED ROTTEN!!? Mainly, it's her sleeping that is messed up.
Sunday night she slept about 2 hours at a stretch before waking up & wanting to nurse. At one point, I sent Dan to the couch so he could rest & said, "Let's just let her cry it out." but when her cries turned to SCREAMS, I got her, of course. She ate like she was ravenous -and I felt horrible.
Monday was busy - I went ROLLERSKATING with my 2 kids' classes (where my husband was also chaperoning) and then out to eat lunch with the group (alas no pictures either). Later we had piano lessons - and Miriam was part of a video that our teacher is making for her new on-line children's music "classes". Miriam did great - me, not so much. I realized half-way through that I was CHEWING GUM during the filming!! Ugh, nothing less attractive than that - but maybe I was chewing in time to the music. I'll do better next week - we're video'ing about 20 minute sessions for the next few weeks. On the way home, I peeked in my car's visor mirror & realized my lips were horribly chapped too!!! Oh well, the video is - thankfully - NOT about me!! :)
I can't even remember how Miriam slept last night - I fell asleep holding her both times I remember feeding her ... but in any case, I guess I got some sleep that way. Miss MiMi sure loves cuddling, and she is just so warm & "fluffy"! Today her nap schedule was horribly off though. She was SO cranky - she'd go from smiling to fussing in about 2 seconds - so much so, I am beginning to wonder if she's bi-polar (kidding, just kidding!)! Her naps were all too short - 20-30 minutes at a time instead of her usual short morning nap & 2-3 hour afternoon nap.
Well, anyway, I'm not complaining - just telling it like it is...Somehow we have GOT TO get back on a normal schedule.
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Lastly, I want to leave you with a sneak peak at a book I'm reading for review next week. It is called RADICAL - Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream. When I first got the book, I was thinking, "Why did I ask for this book?! It looks like just another ecumenical attempt at justifying using modern culture to promote Christianity. Yet another how to do supposedly big things for God while making yourself feel good." Boy was I wrong!!!!!
I'm on page 59, and I've already marked passages with my pencil that I want to go back and contemplate some more. I am CONVICTED and ENCOURAGED all at the same time!! This book is full of Bible verses and Bible principles. It is actually somewhat "against" the whole mega-church, health-wealth-and-prosperity movement. In fact, the author contemplates that he'd like a church with the least talented people, the least gifted people, the fewest dynamic leaders, and the least money [I'd qualify to be a member, that's for sure!] - but that with the power of God, it could still do a mighty work. That way the only glory that could be given would be God's alone.
So, back to the core of the book ... David Platt, the author, a Southern Baptist pastor, begins basically by confronting us with the question: If our church had NO climate control devises, NO indoor bathrooms, NO comfy seats, NO entertainment - NOTHING but the Word of God - would we still go? This man has amazing experiences with "secret church" believers in countries where people are killed because they are Christians. These people sit in crowded rooms - with no modern conveniences - and BEG for expository, book-by-book Bible teaching for hours upon hours and days upon days. They are THAT hungry for the God who they are willing to die for because they believe that He died for them and is worthy of ALL. I can't imagine.
I can't imagine because I tend to live what this book is trying to get us away from - "the American dream." The American dream is focused on what we can do for ourselves and our abilities ("to make much of ourselves") ... the Gospel is focused on what GOD does through us and on His ability ("to make much of God"). I might add that the American Dream is all about being comfortable, and I think God sometimes wants us to be a little (or a lot) UNcomfortable.
Here are a few more quotes that I had to underline:
"[God] intentionally puts His people in situations where they come face to face with their need for Him."
"He is giving unlikely people His power so that it is clear who deserves the glory..."
Prime examples:
Joshua & the people of Israel at the wall of Jericho (it sure wasn't their lovely music playing as they marched around the walls of the city that caused the walls to tumble down on the 7th day!).
and
George Mueller. Did you know that in a statement about WHY he opened his orphanages, George's sole purpose was NOT to just help get children off the streets??! Nope, he said, "This, then, was the primary reason for establishing the Orphan-House ... The first and primary object of the work was that God might be magnified by the fact, that the orphans under my care are provided with all they need, only by prayer and faith without anyone being asked by me or my fellow-laborers whereby it may be seen, that God is faithful still, and hears prayers still."
Isn't it interesting that Jesus only had 12 disciples and very few others who followed Him? How is it that (some of) the mega-churches of today have thousands of members who come each week to be entertained by some man (or woman in some cases) in their elaborate facilities. This book suggests that it is because it is comfortable to sit in a richly adorned, comfy, exciting mega-church and be told that God wants us to be even richer and to feel good about ourselves. All the while what Jesus actually had to say was much harder: [be willing to] give up your self, give up your family, give up your home (ie. rich young ruler, man who wanted to first bury his father before following Jesus, disciples told to drop their fishing nets/give up their "careers"). The main thing that Jesus asked His followers to "take up" was their cross, a device of torture. He warned us it wasn't going to be easy ... but He did promise to be with us, to provide us with a Comforter (the Holy Spirit), and to give us "good gifts" as an earthly father does to his own children.
In giving up, we gain everything we need. In our weakness, He is strong. In our inability, He gets the glory.
2 comments:
Sounds like a great book....with lots of food for thought.
Hope Miriam's just going through a growth spurt and that it's short-lived...or maybe something in the shots is making her feel bad.
Just think, before too much longer you can begin to give her a little food, then she'll be satisfied longer. The hardest time for me while I was nursing both my kids was when they were ALMOST ready for some food but not quite....in fact, I may have started both of them on cereal because I was at the end of my rope!
Hang in there!
It does sound like a good book, Conny.
As far as MiMi, I had to supplement all of our kids when they began sleeping through the night - or soon after. Firstborn is the toughest learning curve of course where I did many things 'wrong.' But with #2 I knew what she needed when that time came by 4 months old. (And yes, I chose sleep instead of nursing more often and all night long.) Your little MiMi is much fluffier than my babies were, so maybe it's just a spurt that you have to get through -- but sweet potatoes from the produce section are YUMmy for both of you (I did veggies instead of cereal - as well as Similac :p or goat milk for most)
Looong comment??
=)
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