We’ve had some feedback on our blog – from readers who find it a depressing account of the perfect Williamson family happily tripping around the world, Michael and Karen gazing into each other’s eyes as we see the sights and our boys blissfully soaking up every cultural experience we can offer them and angelically reading the bible each night.
Of course, we have told the truth in our blogs about our holiday. We just haven’t told you about all the everyday, boring, frustrating times. Frankly, we didn’t think you’d want to read about that. But maybe you do.
So, if you want to know the whole truth about our odyssey, read on. If not… we’re glad about that too.
Here are some other facts about our holiday…
- we have had long, boring drives in our campervan lasting many hours.
- during those long, boring drives, one of our children talked incessantly about all sorts of nonsense. It gets wearing.
- one of our other children talked nearly as much, and twice as loudly.
- yet another of our children has a tendency to wet his pants when his brothers make him laugh.
- one of our children is a teenager. Enough said.
- two of our children are very grumpy when tired. So is their mother.
- one of our children is overly cheerful when tired. So is his father.
- getting our children to do homework was like pulling teeth.
- we usually travelled with our washing flapping on a line around our heads. Not ideal.
- one of the adults constantly hit her head/foot/leg/etc in the small space of the van. After 10 weeks of van travel, that’s a lot of bruises.
- the other adult tried patiently to cope with his spouse who didn’t seem to remember where she hurt herself the day before, and the day before that, and the one before that.
- there is no privacy in a campervan. We have all seen enough of each other in various stages of undress to last a lifetime.
- our children seemed to enjoy playgrounds more than the amazing sights we were trying to show them.
- our children grew to endure, not enjoy, art galleries and palaces.
- we grew to endure, not enjoy, dinosaur skeletons and toy stores.
- we have eaten way too much spaghetti bolognaise.
- camping ground showers range from the sublime to the ones where you need to push the button every 5 seconds to keep the water running, it’s lukewarm and all your clothes end up soaking wet.
- our London flat had a constant smell of stale smoke.
- one of our children refused to try any new foods. Hence, vast quantities of spaghetti bolognaise and nutella were consumed.
- we had to convince our children that every rock they found didn’t need to come home with us. Nor did McDonald’s toys, cardboard creations or empty chip packets.
- toilets in Europe leave much to be desired. No seats, no toilet paper and often no toilet. Just a hole in the ground.
- we were cold – really cold – for much of our time in the USA, despite wearing every piece of clothing we owned, all at once.
I could go on. But you really don’t want to hear the rest. Suffice to say, we are just like we are at home, and just like you.
Karen
Showing posts with label family life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family life. Show all posts
Saturday, May 14, 2011
While I was washing up ...
... the boys were growing up.
Over these three and a half months they have all grown so much. In size definitely, each of them have grown out of the clothes we originally packed and we’ve bought new ones. Yet they have also grown as people more like Jesus as God has shaped them and matured them through this odyssey.
They have all grown mightily in patience with long waits and frustrating boredom in uncomfortable circumstances. They’ve all grown in tolerance of one another’s deficits and appreciation of one another’s strengths. They’ve all grown in appreciation of what they enjoy at home in relationships, space, freedom and food. None of these growths would have occurred so quickly were it not for the close proximity living and challenges of travel that we have been privileged to enjoy and endure together in this time.
I have likewise grown in love for each of them beyond my wildest dreams. I am quite broken hearted that our odyssey is over and that as I write this post they are in separate bedrooms once more and I am more than 10m away from any one of them. I can’t hear them breathing, I can’t hear them whispering, giggling or wrestling. I miss them terribly and I’m still in the same house.
Each night in the RV it was quite difficult to get them to be quiet and go to sleep. Such exciting days, such exciting plans for the next day and such close proximity meant that it was hard for them to calm down and go to sleep. To help this Karen would journal & plan the details of the next day in the back of the RV while I would wash-up right next to where the boys were supposed to be sleeping. My presence that close was enough to silence the atmosphere and even though I was making a racket washing up they would all generally be asleep by the time I finished. This was also a terrific time for me to observe them and pray for them. With all this time I have been privileged to see them grow more like Jesus.
Time and again throughout the trip we have had people speak to us about our boys and their extraordinary good behaviour, listening, sharing, helping, obedience, cheerfulness, patience and more. Tour guides, fellow passengers, stewardesses, people we’ve stayed with and complete strangers who have watched from a distance and then approached us to make comment. God has blessed us mightily with four wonderful sons who are a credit to his great work in them and an honour for us.
I know, appreciate and thank God for my four sons now more than ever before and will always treasure the precious time of this odyssey with them, when I was free to watch them grow.
Michael
Over these three and a half months they have all grown so much. In size definitely, each of them have grown out of the clothes we originally packed and we’ve bought new ones. Yet they have also grown as people more like Jesus as God has shaped them and matured them through this odyssey.
They have all grown mightily in patience with long waits and frustrating boredom in uncomfortable circumstances. They’ve all grown in tolerance of one another’s deficits and appreciation of one another’s strengths. They’ve all grown in appreciation of what they enjoy at home in relationships, space, freedom and food. None of these growths would have occurred so quickly were it not for the close proximity living and challenges of travel that we have been privileged to enjoy and endure together in this time.
I have likewise grown in love for each of them beyond my wildest dreams. I am quite broken hearted that our odyssey is over and that as I write this post they are in separate bedrooms once more and I am more than 10m away from any one of them. I can’t hear them breathing, I can’t hear them whispering, giggling or wrestling. I miss them terribly and I’m still in the same house.
Each night in the RV it was quite difficult to get them to be quiet and go to sleep. Such exciting days, such exciting plans for the next day and such close proximity meant that it was hard for them to calm down and go to sleep. To help this Karen would journal & plan the details of the next day in the back of the RV while I would wash-up right next to where the boys were supposed to be sleeping. My presence that close was enough to silence the atmosphere and even though I was making a racket washing up they would all generally be asleep by the time I finished. This was also a terrific time for me to observe them and pray for them. With all this time I have been privileged to see them grow more like Jesus.
Time and again throughout the trip we have had people speak to us about our boys and their extraordinary good behaviour, listening, sharing, helping, obedience, cheerfulness, patience and more. Tour guides, fellow passengers, stewardesses, people we’ve stayed with and complete strangers who have watched from a distance and then approached us to make comment. God has blessed us mightily with four wonderful sons who are a credit to his great work in them and an honour for us.
I know, appreciate and thank God for my four sons now more than ever before and will always treasure the precious time of this odyssey with them, when I was free to watch them grow.
Michael
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Things We Love about London
In no particular order (with photos to come) …
• The Thames River – winds its way through the city with walkways all round. Great for a stroll and so many sites to see on it and near it
• The History – so many amazing things happened here. Something for everyone from every century in every field of human endeavour and interest
• The Tube & the National Rail – what a fantastic overlapping transport system developed so long ago, covering so much of the city and now so incredibly efficient (a train every 2-3 mins on every line)
• The London Buses – a large family’s dream in that the kids are free, there is a top deck to sit on and there are literally 400 plus routes covering every square inch of the city. Even better than the trains
• The Oyster System – a transport card that enabled you to easily travel on both buses and trains and automatically reduced the price of your fare to the lowest possible for the day
• The Monuments – you can climb on them and play in them and sit on the floor anywhere you like (unlike the USA where machine gun waving wardens guarded every nook and cranny to stop people loitering)
• The Tesco Food Deal – 2 Pounds buys you a meal deal of a deli sandwich a packet of chips and a decent drink BRILLIANT
• Costa Coffee – after the good coffee drought in the US these guys were heaven sent. Real life Baristas and “every cup is made with love”
• The Architecture – from the ridiculous Gherkin and the copy-cat Raddish to the Norman Churches, countless Palaces and Gothic Cathedrals London has it all (soon to include the tallest building in the European Union)
• Royal Albert Hall – a musical masterpiece and a terrific glimpse into English culture as we spent the afternoon with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir for a St George’s Day sing along.
• The Array of Sports Cars – if you can tell the difference between a Lamborghini, Masarati, Porsche & a Mini (and you care as our boys do) then a walk through the Kensington Royal Borough is very exciting
• The Christians – although London is a godless place strangely full of religion and yet very little biblical faith, the Christians at St Helen’s Bishopsgate and St John’s Chelsea welcomed us with open arms and cared for our needy hearts with excellent teaching, godly counsel, hospitality and warm fellowship for the whole family
• The Garden Museum at Lambeth – a beautiful old Norman church where Governor Bligh and family are buried now turned into a tasteful café and garden museum
• The London Eye – more than a great big Ferris Wheel
• The Windmill Pub – which supplied us with internet and unforgettable Karaoke
• The Park Jumpers – in the park behind our flat there was a lovely park. In this park a group of young men would gather to jump. They did it for hours and we watched amazed from our balcony
• The Royal Wedding TV Show – a nightly feast for those who love all things royal
• The Food – Vegemite and Wheetbix were the same as in Australia and Jam Donuts in England are as good as they get.
Michael
• The Thames River – winds its way through the city with walkways all round. Great for a stroll and so many sites to see on it and near it
• The History – so many amazing things happened here. Something for everyone from every century in every field of human endeavour and interest
• The Tube & the National Rail – what a fantastic overlapping transport system developed so long ago, covering so much of the city and now so incredibly efficient (a train every 2-3 mins on every line)
• The London Buses – a large family’s dream in that the kids are free, there is a top deck to sit on and there are literally 400 plus routes covering every square inch of the city. Even better than the trains
• The Oyster System – a transport card that enabled you to easily travel on both buses and trains and automatically reduced the price of your fare to the lowest possible for the day
• The Monuments – you can climb on them and play in them and sit on the floor anywhere you like (unlike the USA where machine gun waving wardens guarded every nook and cranny to stop people loitering)
• The Tesco Food Deal – 2 Pounds buys you a meal deal of a deli sandwich a packet of chips and a decent drink BRILLIANT
• Costa Coffee – after the good coffee drought in the US these guys were heaven sent. Real life Baristas and “every cup is made with love”
• The Architecture – from the ridiculous Gherkin and the copy-cat Raddish to the Norman Churches, countless Palaces and Gothic Cathedrals London has it all (soon to include the tallest building in the European Union)
• Royal Albert Hall – a musical masterpiece and a terrific glimpse into English culture as we spent the afternoon with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir for a St George’s Day sing along.
• The Array of Sports Cars – if you can tell the difference between a Lamborghini, Masarati, Porsche & a Mini (and you care as our boys do) then a walk through the Kensington Royal Borough is very exciting
• The Christians – although London is a godless place strangely full of religion and yet very little biblical faith, the Christians at St Helen’s Bishopsgate and St John’s Chelsea welcomed us with open arms and cared for our needy hearts with excellent teaching, godly counsel, hospitality and warm fellowship for the whole family
• The Garden Museum at Lambeth – a beautiful old Norman church where Governor Bligh and family are buried now turned into a tasteful café and garden museum
• The London Eye – more than a great big Ferris Wheel
• The Windmill Pub – which supplied us with internet and unforgettable Karaoke
• The Park Jumpers – in the park behind our flat there was a lovely park. In this park a group of young men would gather to jump. They did it for hours and we watched amazed from our balcony
• The Royal Wedding TV Show – a nightly feast for those who love all things royal
• The Food – Vegemite and Wheetbix were the same as in Australia and Jam Donuts in England are as good as they get.
Michael
Hullabaloo at Heathrow
The day began simply enough. All the packing the night before went fairly well, the minivan taxi even came on time. Though the driver was fairly dismayed when he saw the number and size of our baggage – as usual it all worked in the end and off we went to Heathrow.
The difficulties began at baggage check-in. It seems our tickets do not have a consistent baggage policy for all the flights on our journey. The excessive but very good for us 2 bags per person at 23kg each plus carry-on baggage was reduced for this leg to Frankfurt down to one bag each of no more than 20kg plus carry on baggage. What a to-do! It wasn’t our fault and it wasn’t their fault, somewhere a glitch in the Lufthansa ticketing system had occurred (which we hope will be rectified before our next flight!!).
Either way it meant a complete re-pack and reduce right there on the floor of the check-in terminal amongst hundreds of passengers. With our trolleys and persons and baggage we took up ¼ the size of a tennis court all spread out on the floor. Sadly we were forced to bin lots of things. What we could not part with but did not need till home was repacked into 3 bags for direct shipping and the rest reorganised and re-weighed.
I took the gear down to shipping (a separate level on the far side of the terminal) whilst Karen and the boys re-checked-in the remains. For my part it was going well til I lost all three bags off the trolley in front of a bus (note to self: calm down and stop running) and then had to fill out 6 pages of forms in triplicate, empty and re-pack one of the bags three times looking for batteries and other items that the x-ray refused.
Margin is a good thing. However even with the extra hour margin we had allowed it was not sufficient for the task. The plane was delayed while they paged the Williamson family, the staff were stroppy and we were now running to make it on board. At times like this God intervenes in amazing ways. You can bet we were all praying hard and miracles began to happen. They allowed us some extra weight in our remaining bags and did not count the pram and child seat and then for the first time so far there was no queue at the passport check, the personal security x-ray check or at boarding, even the gate where the plane was revving its engines waiting for us was physically the closest gate to the entry – not bad out of 40+ gates. Every other flight we’ve undertaken has seen queues at each of those points for anything up to 20mins a go.
The result? We’re now 50kgs lighter, $500 lighter (expecting to be refunded by Lufthansa later on) and are amazed at God’s provision in so many ways.
Michael
The difficulties began at baggage check-in. It seems our tickets do not have a consistent baggage policy for all the flights on our journey. The excessive but very good for us 2 bags per person at 23kg each plus carry-on baggage was reduced for this leg to Frankfurt down to one bag each of no more than 20kg plus carry on baggage. What a to-do! It wasn’t our fault and it wasn’t their fault, somewhere a glitch in the Lufthansa ticketing system had occurred (which we hope will be rectified before our next flight!!).
Either way it meant a complete re-pack and reduce right there on the floor of the check-in terminal amongst hundreds of passengers. With our trolleys and persons and baggage we took up ¼ the size of a tennis court all spread out on the floor. Sadly we were forced to bin lots of things. What we could not part with but did not need till home was repacked into 3 bags for direct shipping and the rest reorganised and re-weighed.
I took the gear down to shipping (a separate level on the far side of the terminal) whilst Karen and the boys re-checked-in the remains. For my part it was going well til I lost all three bags off the trolley in front of a bus (note to self: calm down and stop running) and then had to fill out 6 pages of forms in triplicate, empty and re-pack one of the bags three times looking for batteries and other items that the x-ray refused.
Margin is a good thing. However even with the extra hour margin we had allowed it was not sufficient for the task. The plane was delayed while they paged the Williamson family, the staff were stroppy and we were now running to make it on board. At times like this God intervenes in amazing ways. You can bet we were all praying hard and miracles began to happen. They allowed us some extra weight in our remaining bags and did not count the pram and child seat and then for the first time so far there was no queue at the passport check, the personal security x-ray check or at boarding, even the gate where the plane was revving its engines waiting for us was physically the closest gate to the entry – not bad out of 40+ gates. Every other flight we’ve undertaken has seen queues at each of those points for anything up to 20mins a go.
The result? We’re now 50kgs lighter, $500 lighter (expecting to be refunded by Lufthansa later on) and are amazed at God’s provision in so many ways.
Michael
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Why I Love Karen
Just one of the reasons … and not really a main one; yet there is something terrifically endearing about a woman who can cook for a man who likes to eat.
When we entered this ancient Cotswold’s cottage I was bracing myself for disappointment from the whole family. Sure it was at a place called Great Rissington but all that meant was it was bigger than the other Rissington. Everywhere I looked was another strange room and I bumped my head on beams and ceilings and doorways at every turn. However after 8 weeks in an RV this was luxury. The kids loved the backyard and all the space to move and Karen loved the window seats, the garden, the quaintness of it all and she loved, she loved most of all … the oven?!
I thought this was supposed to be a holiday and there was Karen wanting to cancel all kinds of things so she could stay home and cook. Never one to fight against a good meal I encouraged her love for the Aga and off we went to the shops for supplies. Before you could say “3 course meal” Karen had strapped on the floral apron, unsheathed her whisk and the food began to arrive. We could barely eat fast enough and were any of us complaining? No way!
Slow cooked Beef Korma, Chicken Pie, Risotto, Roast Chicken, Roast Pork, Berry & Clotted Cream Pudding, Apple Turnover, Hot Cross Buns & Aga toast melts with all kinds of pastry treats to eat throughout each day. In the spirit of English country cookery we also went off to Stow-on-the-Wold Growers Market to sample the local wares. Here we purchased pork pies from a lady who I’m sure knew the pigs by name, donuts filled with lemon curd made that morning, potted wood pigeon and potted pheasant along with various garden greens and jams.
Was it good? Very!
Are we fatter? Without doubt!
Do I love my wife’s cooking? What do you think?!
Michael
When we entered this ancient Cotswold’s cottage I was bracing myself for disappointment from the whole family. Sure it was at a place called Great Rissington but all that meant was it was bigger than the other Rissington. Everywhere I looked was another strange room and I bumped my head on beams and ceilings and doorways at every turn. However after 8 weeks in an RV this was luxury. The kids loved the backyard and all the space to move and Karen loved the window seats, the garden, the quaintness of it all and she loved, she loved most of all … the oven?!
I thought this was supposed to be a holiday and there was Karen wanting to cancel all kinds of things so she could stay home and cook. Never one to fight against a good meal I encouraged her love for the Aga and off we went to the shops for supplies. Before you could say “3 course meal” Karen had strapped on the floral apron, unsheathed her whisk and the food began to arrive. We could barely eat fast enough and were any of us complaining? No way!
Slow cooked Beef Korma, Chicken Pie, Risotto, Roast Chicken, Roast Pork, Berry & Clotted Cream Pudding, Apple Turnover, Hot Cross Buns & Aga toast melts with all kinds of pastry treats to eat throughout each day. In the spirit of English country cookery we also went off to Stow-on-the-Wold Growers Market to sample the local wares. Here we purchased pork pies from a lady who I’m sure knew the pigs by name, donuts filled with lemon curd made that morning, potted wood pigeon and potted pheasant along with various garden greens and jams.
Was it good? Very!
Are we fatter? Without doubt!
Do I love my wife’s cooking? What do you think?!
Michael
Thursday, April 7, 2011
On a Boston Bound Train ...
You get on a train to Boston, settle the family down for a 1 hour journey as other people take their seats, and then the nearest passenger makes a comment about the number of your kids and that they are all boys. Now this is not unusual really, it happens to us everywhere. Yet this time the man in question was up for a conversation that would last for the rest of the trip.
Him: “Four boys eh? Good on you, I had four boys too. We also had three girls.”
Me: “Wow that must have been a handful”
Him: “Yes and no, they were spread over 20 years, we were married young. Now we have 23 grand kids and 9 great grand kids.”
Me: “Gee how do you remember all their names and birthdays?”
Him: “Oh, you get used to it, though we spend most of the year travelling round the country to family events. Hey where are you from?”
Me: “Australia”
Him: “That’s great, the first Australian I met was when a guy called Marcus Loane came and preached at our Church, he was fantastic!”
After I picked my jaw off the floor and glanced at Karen who was guffawing beside me, I shook his hand and made introductions.
A thorough-going Calvinist, graciously spoken and widely read, he also had recently heard David Short (an Aussie preacher in Canada) preach and loved him. He then told me the tale of what it was like for the average pew-sitter watching the US Episcopal Church coming apart and what had been happening in relation to Rome and numerous other machinations of the Anglican Communion in this part of the world. Absolutely fascinating!
An hour later we were all greatly encouraged and spurred on to follow the Lord – incredible who you meet on a Boston bound train.
Michael
Him: “Four boys eh? Good on you, I had four boys too. We also had three girls.”
Me: “Wow that must have been a handful”
Him: “Yes and no, they were spread over 20 years, we were married young. Now we have 23 grand kids and 9 great grand kids.”
Me: “Gee how do you remember all their names and birthdays?”
Him: “Oh, you get used to it, though we spend most of the year travelling round the country to family events. Hey where are you from?”
Me: “Australia”
Him: “That’s great, the first Australian I met was when a guy called Marcus Loane came and preached at our Church, he was fantastic!”
After I picked my jaw off the floor and glanced at Karen who was guffawing beside me, I shook his hand and made introductions.
A thorough-going Calvinist, graciously spoken and widely read, he also had recently heard David Short (an Aussie preacher in Canada) preach and loved him. He then told me the tale of what it was like for the average pew-sitter watching the US Episcopal Church coming apart and what had been happening in relation to Rome and numerous other machinations of the Anglican Communion in this part of the world. Absolutely fascinating!
An hour later we were all greatly encouraged and spurred on to follow the Lord – incredible who you meet on a Boston bound train.
Michael
Sunday, April 3, 2011
No Holiday from Jesus - Part 6
Tonight we finished reading our bedtime story - Pilgrim’s Progress. Finishing a book is always a bitter-sweet moment. Sweet because the climax has been reached and everything to know is now known. Bitter because a wonderful journey has now finished and there is no more to come.
However the entire experience has been a sweet one from start to finish. Every night the boys have asked for more when I closed the book. Every night they have greeted the time with enthusiasm and joy. Every night at least one has remembered what has come before and each has helped remind the others where we are up to. Every night probing spiritual questions have been pondered and glorious reflections of God’s grace have been revealed. Every night they have lamented the struggles of believers, the fall of unbelievers and have rejoiced at every good decision the pilgrims have made. Every night we have considered our blessed place in God’s family and been greatly thankful of his unmerited kindness to us as his children. Every night the prayers have been heartfelt and the following sleep has been peaceful.
What a privilege it is to walk the walk with great ones of the faith like John Bunyan and to share these glorious things with our sons. Bunyan has indeed been the teacher of Matthew 13:52, showing us spiritual treasures new and old with every page we have devoured together. What a joy this has been and yet the journey is not complete. If the Lord should tarry, there are many years to come in which we will be called upon to disciple our Sons, not exasperating them, but bringing them up in the training and instruction of the Lord (Eph 6:4). May he bless all those days as he has blessed these ones, and when they are dry and difficult, may the remembrance of these days give us courage for the task once more.
Michael
Thursday, March 24, 2011
The Fabulous Fresh Family
Rippling Brook Drive, Sewickley (the Fresh's house is the one with our Rv in the drive!)We have just spent 6 days living with our friends Jim & Stephanie, Aaron & Jeremy Fresh in Sewickley, Pittsburgh, PA. They lived in Shellharbour for 5 years (from 2004 til 2009) while Jim worked at Bluescope in Wollongong. Steph, Aaron and Jeremy came along to Toddler Time at our church and that’s where we met. When I told Steph of our travel plans (back in 2009), she invited us to come and visit them.
Michael had a conference in DC at Capitol Hill Baptist Church from Thursday 17th March to Monday 21st March. We drove to Pittsburgh on Wednesday 16th then Mike flew to DC on Thursday while the boys and I stayed with the Fresh’s.
They welcomed us with open arms! They were so generous to us. Luke, Max, Ethan and Aidan loved having some other boys (and Bertie the weimaraner puppy) to play with.
Some highlights of the things we did while staying with them:
Michael had a conference in DC at Capitol Hill Baptist Church from Thursday 17th March to Monday 21st March. We drove to Pittsburgh on Wednesday 16th then Mike flew to DC on Thursday while the boys and I stayed with the Fresh’s.
They welcomed us with open arms! They were so generous to us. Luke, Max, Ethan and Aidan loved having some other boys (and Bertie the weimaraner puppy) to play with.
Some highlights of the things we did while staying with them:
- when we arrived they had a birthday cake and gift for Ethan
all the boys and the awesome icecream cake- lots of homework (much to our boys’ disgust!)
- a day at the Carnegie Science Centre – a fun, interactive place. Our faves were the robotics floor and the real submarine in the river that we went in
Max playing air hockey against a robot
in the submarine - we went to their church with them – an amazing experience – 2000 people attend each week, the facilities are amazing (including a rock climbing wall in the kid’s church room!), a fully robed choir sang at the service we went to – and the bible was taught well – engaging and challenging
- dinner out at a restaurant with an amazing view down over Pittsburgh to where 3 rivers meet
dinner, high above Pittsburgh- walked Bertie, played with Bertie, fell in love with Bertie
- Steph took me shopping to the most amazing craft shop I have ever seen – in 3 hours there I only saw 1/3 of the shop!
- the boys all had a movie night and sleepover in the toyroom
- Max, Ethan and Aidan went to a lego club Steph runs at the local community centre
- a cub scout hike and baseball game
- a cub scout hike and baseball game
- played basketball, bikes, cricket, rollerblades and scooters outside each afternoon with all the neighbourhood kids
l > r Aidan, Bertie, Jeremy, Aaron, Ethan, Max, Luke- played Wii
- heaps of eating! Stephanie is a fantastic cook!
- Steph and I did heaps of chatting, remembering, crying, encouraging and catching up – a very special time.
Also, Max and Ethan went to school one day with the Fresh boys… but I’ll let Max tell you all about that.
And, when Michael finally returned on Monday night (after his plane was delayed many times), Jim and Steph looked after our boys so we could go out to dinner – an early birthday dinner for Mike – and possibly (probably!) our only child free time in 14 weeks! We went to The Cheesecake Factory and tried to eat typical American foods – deep fried mac and cheese balls, bbq’d salmon with corn succotash, Salisbury steak and banana cream cheesecake with hot fudge. A great night.
We are so thankful to God for the respite and normality we had for those 6 days. Feeling recharged and ready for the next stage of this odyssey!
Karen
Pittsburgh, PA, 12.35pm, Tuesday 22nd March. By Max.
Yesterday Ethan and I went to Aaron and Jeremy's school to see what it was like. We got up at about 7.00 in the morning and got dressed and had breakfast. Then we put on our shoes and walked out the door to the bus stop. It was pretty exciting going to school on the yellow bus.
When we got there I followed Aaron to his grade 2 class. The entire school was indoors and it had a cafeteria. When we got to his class we went in after putting Aaron's backpack in his locker.
I sat at a desk next to Aaron's. I was introduced to Aaron's teacher, Mrs Parreaguirre. I started off by showing all of the kids where I was from and what it was like there. Then I sat down at my desk and did some of my homework. Next I sat down on the floor in a group and learned about mapping and North and South America. After that I went to the library and looked at a book with Aaron.
Then we all went outside to lunch and I spent my playing time with Aaron running away from my 'fan club'. Next I went into the cafeteria and ate my vegemite sandwich for lunch.
When I came back to class the kids asked me questions about Australia like: 'What do you do in your spare time?' or 'What sports are in Australia?' or 'What are some Aussie foods?' or'Do you have Nintendo DS in Australia?' and much more. Then we did a matching sheet (which mum and Mrs Fresh had made up), where you had to match the Aussie words with their American words for the same thing. Their favourite one was 'Sloppy Joe' which for us is a jumper and for them is a loose meat and onion food thing. Once I had told them all the answers I did some more of my Australian homework. Next we went to computer class and leaned about Cyber safety, who to talk to and who not to talk to. Then we went back to class, got our bags and went out the door to join the bus lines so we could catch a bus back home. When the bus arrived we got on and went to our stop where we got off and walked back to the Fresh's house.
Once there we unpacked our bags and went outside to play a fun game of cricket with Aaron, Jeremy and the neighbours who we taught how to play. It was so much fun. Once we had finished cricket we went inside and had dinner. After dinner we went back outside and played Zombie Tag which is exactly the same as tip but if you get tipped you're a zombie too. We played that for about an hour till we stopped and played basketball with the Fresh's and Andy (one of the neighbours). When it started to get dark we went back inside and got into our P.Js, read a book together and went to bed.
Max
me getting on the bus (in black)
Ethan on the bus
the front of their school, they have 700 kids there from K to year 5
When we got there I followed Aaron to his grade 2 class. The entire school was indoors and it had a cafeteria. When we got to his class we went in after putting Aaron's backpack in his locker.
I sat at a desk next to Aaron's. I was introduced to Aaron's teacher, Mrs Parreaguirre. I started off by showing all of the kids where I was from and what it was like there. Then I sat down at my desk and did some of my homework. Next I sat down on the floor in a group and learned about mapping and North and South America. After that I went to the library and looked at a book with Aaron.
Then we all went outside to lunch and I spent my playing time with Aaron running away from my 'fan club'. Next I went into the cafeteria and ate my vegemite sandwich for lunch.
When I came back to class the kids asked me questions about Australia like: 'What do you do in your spare time?' or 'What sports are in Australia?' or 'What are some Aussie foods?' or'Do you have Nintendo DS in Australia?' and much more. Then we did a matching sheet (which mum and Mrs Fresh had made up), where you had to match the Aussie words with their American words for the same thing. Their favourite one was 'Sloppy Joe' which for us is a jumper and for them is a loose meat and onion food thing. Once I had told them all the answers I did some more of my Australian homework. Next we went to computer class and leaned about Cyber safety, who to talk to and who not to talk to. Then we went back to class, got our bags and went out the door to join the bus lines so we could catch a bus back home. When the bus arrived we got on and went to our stop where we got off and walked back to the Fresh's house.
Once there we unpacked our bags and went outside to play a fun game of cricket with Aaron, Jeremy and the neighbours who we taught how to play. It was so much fun. Once we had finished cricket we went inside and had dinner. After dinner we went back outside and played Zombie Tag which is exactly the same as tip but if you get tipped you're a zombie too. We played that for about an hour till we stopped and played basketball with the Fresh's and Andy (one of the neighbours). When it started to get dark we went back inside and got into our P.Js, read a book together and went to bed.
Max
me getting on the bus (in black)
Ethan on the bus
the front of their school, they have 700 kids there from K to year 5Sunday, March 20, 2011
Anzac Blondies
So, I had to come to the USA to taste these! Steph Fresh made Anzac Blondies to make us feel at home. Apparently it's a Donna Hay recipe. They're good. Have a go!
150g white chocolate chopped
125g butter chopped
1 1/2 cups (330g) caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup (90g) golden syrup
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups (225g) plain flour sifted
1/4 tsp baking powder
2/3 cup (120g) rolled oats
1/2 cup (40g) desiccated coconut
rolled oats extra for sprinkling
preheat oven – 160C
Place chocolate and butter in small saucepan over low heat and stir until melted and smooth. Place in a bowl with the sugar, vanilla, golden syrup and eggs and whisk to combine. Add the flour, baking powder, oats and coconut and whisk until well combined. Pour into a lightly greased 22cm square cake tin lined with non-stick baking paper. Sprinke with extra oats and bake for 1 hr or until just set. Cool in the tin. Slice to serve. Makes 12.
Karen
150g white chocolate chopped
125g butter chopped
1 1/2 cups (330g) caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup (90g) golden syrup
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups (225g) plain flour sifted
1/4 tsp baking powder
2/3 cup (120g) rolled oats
1/2 cup (40g) desiccated coconut
rolled oats extra for sprinkling
preheat oven – 160C
Place chocolate and butter in small saucepan over low heat and stir until melted and smooth. Place in a bowl with the sugar, vanilla, golden syrup and eggs and whisk to combine. Add the flour, baking powder, oats and coconut and whisk until well combined. Pour into a lightly greased 22cm square cake tin lined with non-stick baking paper. Sprinke with extra oats and bake for 1 hr or until just set. Cool in the tin. Slice to serve. Makes 12.
Karen
Thursday, March 17, 2011
No Holiday from Jesus - Part 5
“Hey Dad, I don’t like all this Disney make a wish and dream come true stuff. It’s just not true.“
So far the Christian world view filter is still switched to the on position.
1 John 2:15-17.
It was really great to enjoy Disney but if this is the best the world can be then we conclude that it is not good enough. Without a doubt it is the most amazing things we’ve ever seen or done, its fun, fascinating, hilarious, amazing, fabulous to the smell, taste, touch, eyes and ears, I even got quite teary as we entered the main gate on the first day I was so excited to finally be here after so many years of planning and dreaming.
Yet as good as it all is, it is not a scratch on the love of Jesus who loves without measure and who never stops giving. Jesus doesn’t tell you where to stand or make you queue for favors or charge you mega bucks or attempt to program you with magic mantra or send you away at the end of the day to fend for yourself in the cold and the crowds.
It really would be easy to fall in love with the world if you don’t know Jesus.
Praise God that we do know him 1 John 3:16-24.
Michael
So far the Christian world view filter is still switched to the on position.
1 John 2:15-17.
It was really great to enjoy Disney but if this is the best the world can be then we conclude that it is not good enough. Without a doubt it is the most amazing things we’ve ever seen or done, its fun, fascinating, hilarious, amazing, fabulous to the smell, taste, touch, eyes and ears, I even got quite teary as we entered the main gate on the first day I was so excited to finally be here after so many years of planning and dreaming.
Yet as good as it all is, it is not a scratch on the love of Jesus who loves without measure and who never stops giving. Jesus doesn’t tell you where to stand or make you queue for favors or charge you mega bucks or attempt to program you with magic mantra or send you away at the end of the day to fend for yourself in the cold and the crowds.
It really would be easy to fall in love with the world if you don’t know Jesus.
Praise God that we do know him 1 John 3:16-24.
Michael
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
We go to Washington DC by Luke
12th March 2011
Today we woke up at about 6.00am because we had to catch a train really early in the morning. After getting dressed, eating breakfast and getting what we needed from the RV, we said goodbye to K and she took us to the station. There we caught a train to Washington DC.
The train trip took 2 hours, and we entertained ourselves by talking and reading. At 9.45am we arrived at Union Station in Washington DC. We hopped out, and set off.
The first thing we did was to check in our bags so that we didn't have to carry them everywhere, and after that we went onto a tour bus. On the tour bus we went past many famous sights and places, and our bus driver told us about them. We hopped off the bus near the Smithsonian Museum of American History and from there we walked to a street corner where our walking tour was going to start. It was absolutely freezing, and the strong wind didn't help. Soon enough, our tour started.
The first thing we did on our walking tour was to go to the Washington Monument which is a really tall white tower of stone. As we walked there our guide told us heaps of stuff about it. The Washington Monument is for George Washington, who was the first President of the U.S.A. The tower was actually planned before George died but was not begun until much later. The monument is actually 2 different colours, because of the different coloured stone they used over the many years of construction. You can see the monument from heaps far away because it is so tall.
We then spent time looking at the White House from there. The White House wasn't always white though. It was originally sandstone in colour. It was painted white much later (after the English burnt it down in 1813 and it was rebuilt), it was then called the White House. After taking lots of pictures we walked further along the Mall to the WWII Memorial, which had heaps of water fountains and even a wall filled with more than 4000 gold stars (each star represents 100 Americans who died in the war).
We walked on further through the parks on the Mall to the Vietnam Memorial. When this was built there was a competition in the USA for what the Memorial would look like, 2500 people entered designs. In the end a college student won, even beating her own teacher who had only given her a "B" for her design in class. The memorial was a smooth polished black wall with the names of all the Americans who were killed or "missing in action" during the war.
We kept on walking and next was the Lincoln Memorial. Inside there was a huge statue of Abe Lincoln sitting in a chair. The Lincoln Memorial is the place for many rallies and the "I have a dream" speech was said there by Martin Luther King Jnr. The memorial is directly across from the Washington Monument, and from the Memorial you have a perfect view of it. We took heaps of pictures, and walked around looking at all the detail on the memorial. There are 56 steps, to signify the 56 years of his life.
Our final point of the tour was at the Korean War Memorial. It had 19 men "creeping" through the forrest. Behind the men there was a wall with lazer etched photos on it of the American support services who went to Korea. This wall was also reflective so when the 19 men are added to the 19 reflections it becomes 38 symbolizing the 38th Parallel. Our tour then ended.
After having lunch we kept on walking around. In the distance was the Capitol building with its statue on top of the dome. We had learnt that the statue was Lady Freedom and no other statue in all of Washington is allowed to be taller than it (19.5 feet) so that freedom is never overshadowed. As we moved around we saw Police and FBI and CIA officers everywhere - police with guns were on top of the White House because the President, Barack Obama, was home.
After catching a tour bus back to Union Station we had Subway for dinner and after a long wait in the absolute freezing cold, we caught another bus to the apartment where we were staying. We went to bed as soon as we could because we were really tired. Daylight savings was due to change overnight so we all switched our watches forward one hour.
Here are some photos I took :
Today we woke up at about 6.00am because we had to catch a train really early in the morning. After getting dressed, eating breakfast and getting what we needed from the RV, we said goodbye to K and she took us to the station. There we caught a train to Washington DC.
The train trip took 2 hours, and we entertained ourselves by talking and reading. At 9.45am we arrived at Union Station in Washington DC. We hopped out, and set off.
The first thing we did was to check in our bags so that we didn't have to carry them everywhere, and after that we went onto a tour bus. On the tour bus we went past many famous sights and places, and our bus driver told us about them. We hopped off the bus near the Smithsonian Museum of American History and from there we walked to a street corner where our walking tour was going to start. It was absolutely freezing, and the strong wind didn't help. Soon enough, our tour started.
The first thing we did on our walking tour was to go to the Washington Monument which is a really tall white tower of stone. As we walked there our guide told us heaps of stuff about it. The Washington Monument is for George Washington, who was the first President of the U.S.A. The tower was actually planned before George died but was not begun until much later. The monument is actually 2 different colours, because of the different coloured stone they used over the many years of construction. You can see the monument from heaps far away because it is so tall.
We then spent time looking at the White House from there. The White House wasn't always white though. It was originally sandstone in colour. It was painted white much later (after the English burnt it down in 1813 and it was rebuilt), it was then called the White House. After taking lots of pictures we walked further along the Mall to the WWII Memorial, which had heaps of water fountains and even a wall filled with more than 4000 gold stars (each star represents 100 Americans who died in the war).
We walked on further through the parks on the Mall to the Vietnam Memorial. When this was built there was a competition in the USA for what the Memorial would look like, 2500 people entered designs. In the end a college student won, even beating her own teacher who had only given her a "B" for her design in class. The memorial was a smooth polished black wall with the names of all the Americans who were killed or "missing in action" during the war.
We kept on walking and next was the Lincoln Memorial. Inside there was a huge statue of Abe Lincoln sitting in a chair. The Lincoln Memorial is the place for many rallies and the "I have a dream" speech was said there by Martin Luther King Jnr. The memorial is directly across from the Washington Monument, and from the Memorial you have a perfect view of it. We took heaps of pictures, and walked around looking at all the detail on the memorial. There are 56 steps, to signify the 56 years of his life.
Our final point of the tour was at the Korean War Memorial. It had 19 men "creeping" through the forrest. Behind the men there was a wall with lazer etched photos on it of the American support services who went to Korea. This wall was also reflective so when the 19 men are added to the 19 reflections it becomes 38 symbolizing the 38th Parallel. Our tour then ended.
After having lunch we kept on walking around. In the distance was the Capitol building with its statue on top of the dome. We had learnt that the statue was Lady Freedom and no other statue in all of Washington is allowed to be taller than it (19.5 feet) so that freedom is never overshadowed. As we moved around we saw Police and FBI and CIA officers everywhere - police with guns were on top of the White House because the President, Barack Obama, was home.
After catching a tour bus back to Union Station we had Subway for dinner and after a long wait in the absolute freezing cold, we caught another bus to the apartment where we were staying. We went to bed as soon as we could because we were really tired. Daylight savings was due to change overnight so we all switched our watches forward one hour.
Here are some photos I took :
The White House with 2 snipers on the roof
The Korean War Memorial
The Washington Monument
The Lincoln Memorial
The Capitol BuildingSaturday, February 19, 2011
Of Hats & Lightsabers
How could these possibly be related? Trouble, that’s how!
Let’s begin with the hats. As I write we’ve just returned from Disney Lost & Found, which thankfully exists. Yep we’ve been losing hats everywhere. To date only Luke and Karen haven’t lost their hats. Mine turned up the next day (hidden under a seat in the car), Aidan’s turned up 5 days after it was replaced (behind the TV), Ethan’s is still not found and has since been replaced (we think it’s somewhere in L.A though it had had an earlier escape attempt on the plane just as we came in from Aus), and Max’s brand new L.A. cap came back to us today (after spending at least 5 days at Hollywood Studios). Will we return to Australia with any of our original hats? If anyone out there is a “bookie” I reckon there’s money to be made on taking bets per hat, per person … any takers?
And then there’s create your own lightsabers. For a bargain $22 you can create your own by screwing and/or clipping together 7 different sections (each with multiple options). They light up and a 3-way duel on a dark night in the camp ground is quite the spectacle. Now this has got to be a big money spinner for Disney – except when the Williamson’s show up! Two of our sons managed to build one each and they worked perfectly. Another son (who will remain nameless) put his together and then 30 mins after leaving the shop it stopped working. So we returned and they replaced it willingly as this apparently never happens. Yet it did this time and it did again later that same day, then again, and again, and again, and again. A total of 6 trips back to the same shop and their basket of rejects was growing alarmingly. A mini staff conference followed the last transaction, but with typical Disney smiles, apologies and enthusiasm they offered to keep on swapping whilst ever we kept returning. How many more? Only time will tell.
Michael
Let’s begin with the hats. As I write we’ve just returned from Disney Lost & Found, which thankfully exists. Yep we’ve been losing hats everywhere. To date only Luke and Karen haven’t lost their hats. Mine turned up the next day (hidden under a seat in the car), Aidan’s turned up 5 days after it was replaced (behind the TV), Ethan’s is still not found and has since been replaced (we think it’s somewhere in L.A though it had had an earlier escape attempt on the plane just as we came in from Aus), and Max’s brand new L.A. cap came back to us today (after spending at least 5 days at Hollywood Studios). Will we return to Australia with any of our original hats? If anyone out there is a “bookie” I reckon there’s money to be made on taking bets per hat, per person … any takers?
And then there’s create your own lightsabers. For a bargain $22 you can create your own by screwing and/or clipping together 7 different sections (each with multiple options). They light up and a 3-way duel on a dark night in the camp ground is quite the spectacle. Now this has got to be a big money spinner for Disney – except when the Williamson’s show up! Two of our sons managed to build one each and they worked perfectly. Another son (who will remain nameless) put his together and then 30 mins after leaving the shop it stopped working. So we returned and they replaced it willingly as this apparently never happens. Yet it did this time and it did again later that same day, then again, and again, and again, and again. A total of 6 trips back to the same shop and their basket of rejects was growing alarmingly. A mini staff conference followed the last transaction, but with typical Disney smiles, apologies and enthusiasm they offered to keep on swapping whilst ever we kept returning. How many more? Only time will tell.
Michael
No Holiday from Jesus - Part 4
Our first Sunday in the USA.
After the disasters of the previous day attempting to navigate, we decided the safest bet was to stay home and do “Family Church” rather than try and find one anywhere locally. This has often been our pattern when we’re on holidays and it has come to be highly favored by the boys when we’re missing out on our home Church.
It was a little lacking without the crayons, butchers paper, lego modeling and drama we’d normally resort to, but it was rich none-the-less. We sang Colin Buchanan’s version of the Fruits of the Spirit making up our own sound effects using toys purchased the previous day. Then followed 3 rounds of arrow prayers 1. thanking God for things 2. saying sorry for things and 3. praying for one another in which fruit of the spirit we wanted to do better with. We began our John Life For Kids devotions and read John 1:1-18 and marveled at many things: Jesus’ identity in the first 3 verses as wonderfully revealed as Aidan did a terrific job of replacing “the Word” and “him” in the first 3 verses with “Jesus” right on cue, God revealing himself in the person of his Son was delved into and finally the wonder of his promise in verse 12 was gratefully received.
How good it is to share the majesty of God with one another as we meet around his word in two’s and three’s.
Next Sunday we’ll be visiting a Lutheran Church with some old friends out near Cape Canaveral.
Michael
After the disasters of the previous day attempting to navigate, we decided the safest bet was to stay home and do “Family Church” rather than try and find one anywhere locally. This has often been our pattern when we’re on holidays and it has come to be highly favored by the boys when we’re missing out on our home Church.
It was a little lacking without the crayons, butchers paper, lego modeling and drama we’d normally resort to, but it was rich none-the-less. We sang Colin Buchanan’s version of the Fruits of the Spirit making up our own sound effects using toys purchased the previous day. Then followed 3 rounds of arrow prayers 1. thanking God for things 2. saying sorry for things and 3. praying for one another in which fruit of the spirit we wanted to do better with. We began our John Life For Kids devotions and read John 1:1-18 and marveled at many things: Jesus’ identity in the first 3 verses as wonderfully revealed as Aidan did a terrific job of replacing “the Word” and “him” in the first 3 verses with “Jesus” right on cue, God revealing himself in the person of his Son was delved into and finally the wonder of his promise in verse 12 was gratefully received.
How good it is to share the majesty of God with one another as we meet around his word in two’s and three’s.
Next Sunday we’ll be visiting a Lutheran Church with some old friends out near Cape Canaveral.
Michael
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Plumbing Pandemonium
Not only does the water go down clockwise here in the northern hemisphere, there are numerous other plumbing “issues” to contend with.
Automatic flushing toilets are terrific in theory, but when a 4 year old mounts the loo the sensor doesn’t always register his presence and/or departure and when he arrived or left. So what happens when it sometimes does and sometimes doesn’t? Mid stream the cistern fires and then we have one terrified little boy screaming for dear life and refusing to ever go again.
And then there is the very full bowls. Now we understand why American movies feature the regular joke about the dog drinking from the toilet, it really is possible, and head flushing, and … let’s stop there. Even still this is confusing for little ones who are now astounded at the volume of what they’ve just passed.
Getting back to the sensors, these are also attached to the hand basins. Highly entertaining when you can repeatedly walk the length of 10 basins firing them all off without getting your hands wet. We could spend all day in there doing that.
Then there are the showers. One pressure setting with a pull on/push off knob. Turn it left and right to change the temperature. Lots of screaming somehow seems to help in getting this right. Lessons in shower curtains are also required. Step 1. If you want to flood the bathroom whilst showering, leave the shower curtain hanging outside the bath. Step 2 Don’t listen to the lecture your brother received about it and then you can do it too.
Somehow the bubblers are also back to front, how this could be I’m not quite sure, but the gymnastics required to operate them are quite the show to be seen.
Michael
Automatic flushing toilets are terrific in theory, but when a 4 year old mounts the loo the sensor doesn’t always register his presence and/or departure and when he arrived or left. So what happens when it sometimes does and sometimes doesn’t? Mid stream the cistern fires and then we have one terrified little boy screaming for dear life and refusing to ever go again.
And then there is the very full bowls. Now we understand why American movies feature the regular joke about the dog drinking from the toilet, it really is possible, and head flushing, and … let’s stop there. Even still this is confusing for little ones who are now astounded at the volume of what they’ve just passed.
Getting back to the sensors, these are also attached to the hand basins. Highly entertaining when you can repeatedly walk the length of 10 basins firing them all off without getting your hands wet. We could spend all day in there doing that.
Then there are the showers. One pressure setting with a pull on/push off knob. Turn it left and right to change the temperature. Lots of screaming somehow seems to help in getting this right. Lessons in shower curtains are also required. Step 1. If you want to flood the bathroom whilst showering, leave the shower curtain hanging outside the bath. Step 2 Don’t listen to the lecture your brother received about it and then you can do it too.
Somehow the bubblers are also back to front, how this could be I’m not quite sure, but the gymnastics required to operate them are quite the show to be seen.
Michael
Monday, February 14, 2011
No Holiday from - Part 3
STOP THE PRESS!
We’ve just arrived back from our first proper food shopping trip and we can’t believe what we found next to the Deli counter in between the fruits and the breads - there was this tiny rotating stand of all sorts of books. Whilst having a curiosity look, we found a … we still can’t believe it … a Bible! In a supermarket! Unbelievable! Yet even better than that (better because we are already travelling with 6 Bibles) there was a copy of “The Pilgrim’s Progress” by John Bunyan - amazing.
Our excitement was for two reasons:
1. you can buy Bibles and fantastic Christian literature in a supermarket
2. because I had failed to pack an easy read copy of Pilgrim and we were going to have to use my Olde English Version on the laptop instead; fine for me and Karen but not so great for the boys. A Pilgrim’s Progress is our planned story book reading, out loud each night, once we pick up the RV.
The greatest travel story of all time will be perfect for a travelling family desiring no holiday from Jesus.
Michael
We’ve just arrived back from our first proper food shopping trip and we can’t believe what we found next to the Deli counter in between the fruits and the breads - there was this tiny rotating stand of all sorts of books. Whilst having a curiosity look, we found a … we still can’t believe it … a Bible! In a supermarket! Unbelievable! Yet even better than that (better because we are already travelling with 6 Bibles) there was a copy of “The Pilgrim’s Progress” by John Bunyan - amazing.
Our excitement was for two reasons:
1. you can buy Bibles and fantastic Christian literature in a supermarket
2. because I had failed to pack an easy read copy of Pilgrim and we were going to have to use my Olde English Version on the laptop instead; fine for me and Karen but not so great for the boys. A Pilgrim’s Progress is our planned story book reading, out loud each night, once we pick up the RV.
The greatest travel story of all time will be perfect for a travelling family desiring no holiday from Jesus.
Michael
No Holiday from Jesus - Part 2
Is it possible to stick with Jesus on holiday?
We know that he will never leave or forsake us and man cannot hurt us (Hebrews 13:5-6), but what will we do to ensure that we remain in him (John 15:1-11)?
In the general run of daily life there are always be lots of settings where teaching one another to obey Jesus’ commands is very appropriate – at the dinner table with manners, in public with consideration of other travelers, the fruits of the Spirit in the queue at Disney World (what are they again?), talking to strangers about Jesus, not coveting other people and possessions, avoiding self pity when uncomfortable on the airplane, in the car, in the queue, etc. etc.
We know that he will never leave or forsake us and man cannot hurt us (Hebrews 13:5-6), but what will we do to ensure that we remain in him (John 15:1-11)?
In the general run of daily life there are always be lots of settings where teaching one another to obey Jesus’ commands is very appropriate – at the dinner table with manners, in public with consideration of other travelers, the fruits of the Spirit in the queue at Disney World (what are they again?), talking to strangers about Jesus, not coveting other people and possessions, avoiding self pity when uncomfortable on the airplane, in the car, in the queue, etc. etc.
However, along with these incidental teaching moments that come up every few seconds, every day without warning, we are also planning to teach the commands of Jesus to one another and pray for one another’s obedience as we travel in a structured way as a family together (separate to our normal Christian routines).
To do this our plan is to focus on one book of the Bible together and get to know it really well through reading it, talking about it, praying through it, and using a family devotional book to help us. We will start on the first Sunday and go on from there. The book we’ve chosen is John’s Gospel and the devotional guide is called, “Life 4 Kids: Reading John’s Gospel Together”. Our hope is that we will return with many wonderful memories as a family from the trip and central to them all will be our growth as obedient disciples through John’s Gospel.
Michael
Sunday, February 13, 2011
No Holiday from Jesus - Part 1
Having a holiday at any time is usually a real challenge to our Christian walk, a holiday this long … hmmm! We’re out of routine, nothing is quite the same, and every excuse in the world not to pray or read our Bibles or to meet with other Christians … and with no accountability, no one would ever know. When we return no one will ask about that anyway, all the holiday stories are far more intriguing than a story about how we went with Jesus. The spiritual danger we’ve potentially put ourselves in is significant.
On the other hand there is a great opportunity before us in this same area: Family time with no one else around to disturb our discipling of one another; & what about all those times in the Bible when God pulled his people aside from the normal situations of life, for a significant period of time, to teach them knew things about following him (Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses and their families; individuals like Samuel, David, Elijah; the nation of Israel on numerous occasions; Jesus and the disciples always heading off on wilderness expeditions with teaching in mind; Paul & John just to name a few)!
So then, which will it be for us?
A holiday from Jesus … or … a holiday full of Jesus?
Michael
On the other hand there is a great opportunity before us in this same area: Family time with no one else around to disturb our discipling of one another; & what about all those times in the Bible when God pulled his people aside from the normal situations of life, for a significant period of time, to teach them knew things about following him (Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses and their families; individuals like Samuel, David, Elijah; the nation of Israel on numerous occasions; Jesus and the disciples always heading off on wilderness expeditions with teaching in mind; Paul & John just to name a few)!
So then, which will it be for us?
A holiday from Jesus … or … a holiday full of Jesus?
Michael
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