Edie Wadsworth

Lenten prayer

February 23, 2009 by Edie Wadsworth 6 Comments

We girlies made it home safely and are knee deep in laundry and life. My family is the best and I’ll tell you more about that soon. I’m eeking out every spare moment I can to finish The Problem of Pain by C.S.Lewis, which turns out to be great reading in preparation for Lent. I’m still gathering my thoughts…….

and the dirty laundry……

so enjoy this lenten prayer in the meantime.

Lord Jesus, precious Savior, who went all the way to the cross to redeem me, a lost and condemned creature, graciously look upon me in this Lenten season, and let me find cleansing and healing in Your precious blood. My transgressions caused You the agony of the garden. My sins nailed You to the accursed tree. You were forsaken so that I would not be forsaken throughout eternity. Make me see the awfulness of my sin and then Your wondrous love that would not let me die.

Grant that I may ponder day after day upon Your passion. Let nothing distracting take my thoughts from You. Draw me closer that I might find in You forgiveness and peace. Amen.

Boots and cords and comments and (lack of) christian discipline

February 20, 2009 by Edie Wadsworth 27 Comments

I’m leaving this morning on a girly road trip to Birmingham with my sister, my mom, and our youngest girly children. It takes me almost as long to pack all my cords (iPhone, MacBook, bluetooth, camera, etc) as it does my shoes (gray wedges, black/gray patten leather pumps, riding boots, wedge boots). I probably won’t ‘see’ you until Monday, so I’m gonna leave you with a little homework. As Lent approaches, I’ve been listening to some amazing talk radio on the ‘Theology of the Cross’……and I think you’ll like it too. I’m working on a post on lenten discipline from the Lutheran perspective and have been contemplating what things to give up/recommit to during the next few weeks. I have so many areas that I could ‘work on’ as do we all. As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve tossed the idea around of closing my comments during that time…..to gauge whether or not my writing and my time on the computer is affected by receiving and leaving comments. But I have to tell ya, I love the feedback and especially after yesterday……I have 50 new best friends. So what do you think about lent and christian discipline? I hope to have my thoughts ready by Monday.

Also, it should only be two more weeks until Taylor’s (my son) bands’ first CD is ‘released’. I’m giving away 10 CD’s to commenters today who tell me their thoughts on Lent—-do you observe it? do you not? What have you ‘given up’ before? Do you encourage your children to practice it?

Enjoy a sampling of The Verity……a song that Taylor wrote called Song 42! I’m off to bookclub then to Birmingham!

10 minutes to a Room You Love…..or…..5 Hours to 5 Rooms You Kinda Like

February 18, 2009 by Edie Wadsworth 60 Comments

What you are about to witness has been performed by professionals. Please do not try this at home.

Upon Marcus’ urging and twisting of my arm, I tried a 5 hour energy drink. And then another. And another. No, I’m just kidding. I only had one. But I think it worked. And then to accomplish the purpose of cleaning….. behind and on and around everything, I began the redecorranging. The Nester recommended one room and ten minutes. But with my 5 hour energy drink, I figured I’d make the most of my time. To quote myself, “I removed every last item from every last surface in my house and shifted things around until the five hours were up”. My family wasn’t sure where to sit for dinner or if they were in the wrong house altogether. And here’s the deal. I currently would like to repaint every surface in my house. And all the cabinets. And get new copper countertops. And I’ll probably get around to most of it. At some point. I say all that to say that I don’t necessarily love everything I did, but it’s clean and it’ll do until……….I take another 5 hour energy drink and redo it all again.

This is my attempt at layering frames using mostly black and white. I have a small obsession with dishes and figure sooner or later, I’m just gonna have stacks of them all over. I hijacked that smoochy picture from my living room.

Then I started on the breakfast room. I took the gecko and the oil painting from the bathroom ….the lamp from the living room…….the pitcher from the dining room. I love how the gecko is climbing the wall…….not unlike this homeschooling mama, at times.

I used the fabric off the dining room table to make the window mistreatments…..and the black chairs came from the school room. The pillows on the bench seat, I stole from every room in the house; as various members of my family can testify.

Are you tired of tablescapes yet? Well, I’m still going strong. This one has many borrowed items and even a ‘table’ that was borrowed from the foyer. I’m working on a ‘door-on-the-wall’ ensemble for there. That project may need it’s own separate day and it’s very own energy drink.

I think the hammered aluminum trays are a nice addition here both is color, texture, and shape. Again, notice the layering of the items……which gives it depth and intrigue.

Then I took my mad 5-hour-energy skillz to the bathroom (where you saw the sticks and feathers arrangement earlier this week). This room had a red velvet drape for a shower curtain and the colorful painting and gecko shown in the 2nd picture above. I brought the window mistreatments from the breakfast room (which have officially been in every room in my house now) and softened and ‘cottaged’ up the room with white towels, a white mirror, and my favorite blue star (which is quickly making it’s way to every room in my house as well). This piece of fabric is my very favorite in the whole house….and I bought ten yards of it almost ten years ago for $20 at a thrift store.

My last project was the dining room buffet. I had no plans to redecorrange it, but I found this urn/planter at the antique store downtown yesterday for $15 and it changed my life. In a way that usually only MAC lip gloss can. And since I have no small obsession with words, I love this wall plaque and decided I should not live without it (from T.J.Maxx). Here’s a sampling of what it says.
con-nois-seur: expert. Astute judge in matters of fine or domestic arts. Oh yes I am.

And don’t miss the small detail of the cutest picture on earth. I love tablescapes that are layered…..where you just keep finding great stuff to look at.

So there it is….my favorite tablescape. Complete with frames, words, an urn, a beautiful antique compote and a ladybug and the token stack of books….which if you look closely have the following titles; East of Eden, A Complete History of Christianity, and Genito-Urinary Diseases with Syphilis. Sadly, these would be equally fun topics for me to discuss. Anyone?

This tablescape is balanced but not symmetrical. The urn on the right is balanced by the star on the left. The variety of shapes makes it visually interesting. As does the lack of dust and Valentine candy wrappers…..which I had to remove for the picture.

The energy drink just wore off. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Dear Nester girl, I hold you personally responsible for my lack of sleep……but I love ya anyways. And remember dear decorating friends, it’s your stuff….you can move it where you want to. Just do it!

Top 10 reasons why I’m addicted to 5 hour energy drinks

1. Because it’s February and I homeschool.

2. There is only so much caffeine one can safely consume in a day without achieving a heart rate of 150 and numbness of the extremities.

3. Because my house is dirty and I AM the cleaning lady.

4. Did I mention that it’s February and I homeschool?

5. I have ethical and moral and medical hang ups with crack cocaine. I always was a goody two shoes.

6. Because my ADD has gone from ‘I can’t find my keys’ to ‘I can’t find the dog’ to ‘Sir, I’m sure I paid the mortgage’.

7. I needed one more thing to add to the caffeine/sugar/Rock Star addictions I’m currently nurturing.

8. I believe in the power of B12 and placebo.

9. Because I needed one more thing to add to the lists of possible things I could give up for Lent.

10. Ummmm, it’s still February. And I still homeschool.

I’m working on this post for Nesters’ party and it’s not done….so check back later for updates. There’s more mistreating and stealing to come.

Spring Fever

February 16, 2009 by Edie Wadsworth 19 Comments

You might assume that all I did this weekend was quote Loretta Lynn. You would almost be right. However, while Stevie had a real fever and cough (so sorry honey…that I gave you all my germs) I had a touch of Spring Fever. And found myself longing for birds and nests and eggs. And this post from my friend The Nester only made my fever worse. I’ve had ‘make sticks and feather’ arrangement on my to-do list for 6 months. When I saw her arrangement, I knew I needed to steal the idea and make it my own. She encourages such thievery. If you consider doing this type of spring project this week, I would encourage you to put on some flip flops and listen to this. It helps to ‘spring’ you right up.

So I gathered my supplies: some sticks, some feathers, a bird, some eggs, and a real life nest (although slightly damaged by my tree climbing children) and began my creating. The industrious bird who made that nest…..used a pipe cleaner. Ummm, I’m a little impressed by that.

This is my first project in an attempt to redo my bathroom without replacing the sink, the cabinet, the floor, etc. Which I would like to do. I want to paint it, but that may have to wait until the kitchen is done.

I add some shells and lotus pods and some starfish….

and a little glass bowl and shells and eggs.

I love this little ‘arrangement’. When I folded the towels, I took them one by one into the bathroom…..so I could keep enjoying this little box of sticks and feathers. More to come on the bathroom soon.

I also discovered tumblr this weekend. I think I’m gonna love it. It’s also a Nester idea. It’s a place to store all your links, favorite ideas, favorite audio, etc. And if you add it to your bookmarks bar, when you come across a link you wanna save, you simply add it to your tumblr list by one click. Just thought you’d like to know!

"Doo’s done thowed me out, Momma"

February 15, 2009 by Edie Wadsworth 12 Comments

Steve would probably like to throw me out. I’ve been quotin’ Lorettee all weekend. You gotta love a man who’ll watch Coal Miner’s Daughter with you….and laugh just as much as you do. Coal Miner’s Daughter does something good for me way down deep in my soul. I don’t think it’s just a southern thing either. So, now it’s your turn…to pick your favorite line. Some of you have already started and I am touched by your enthusiasm. To repay you for your sincere devotion to my Appalachian upbringing, I’ve found a couple treats for ya.

My first mullet: notice my cute little sister Gina to the far right who would later have that Coca-cola poured into her bottle.

And my first perm: I’m proud to say that I was already accessorizin’ way back when.

Now, to leave your quotes, go to this post. To make fun of me and my mullet, just stay right here.

Thanks for playing. I took three pages of notes while I watched and I’m not sure if I can narrow it down to one. One of my 236 favorite quotes:

“If youns knock sissy off ‘at porch one more tiiime, I’m ona wup youns both”

The Feminization of the Church

February 14, 2009 by Edie Wadsworth 23 Comments

Pay attention when you go to church this Sunday. Your likely to see significantly more women than men. Men are apparently leaving ‘the church’. And just to make our discussion easier, when I say ‘the church’, I am not speaking of any one denomination. I mean to refer to the church as Christ’s bride; those who claim to be christians. So why are men leaving? And what effect does their leaving have on families, on the church, and on our culture.

The statistics are clear and sad. There has been a steady decline in church attendance by men for the past hundred years. And there is no sign that this trend is slowing down or reversing. The numbers vary based on who you read, but I’ve seen an overall average of 60/40 women/men that attend church regularly. There are many ways to analyze this data, but I will focus on possible reasons why men are leaving and the detrimental effects their leaving has had on families and culture.

Men, as a rule, don’t like the modern church. They have in general found a very feminine culture there; an atmosphere where emotion is glorified and the ‘meek and mild’/turn the other cheek philosophy is king. True biblical masculinity has been lost and men are left feeling out of place: like the burly guy wondering around in Victoria’s Secret holding a tiny piece of lingerie. This is especially true in more contemporary worship where the music often has the overtones of “Jesus as my boyfriend”. The sometimes sensual, often emotionally driven music makes most men uncomfortable. Combine that with a few songs in which they feel compelled to clap their hands and you’ve just made most men wish they were required to work on Sunday. I don’t think there’s anything inherently wrong with contemporary music but it can be weak on doctrine and theology and can leave us tangled up in a web of emotion where the focus has now shifted from the true message of the gospel of Christ.

The music hasn’t been the only culprit either. Most pastors seem to be watering down their message of redemption and salvation and spiritual warfare to another list of 7 things the poor guy needs to do to be a better husband/father/leader. He came to church fully aware of his growing list of sins and shortcomings and will likely leave with a sick feeling of guilt and shame to which no real solution has been presented. Men want meat…..for supper and from the pulpit. They crave serious doctrine and truth and need to hear, over and over again, that Christ has come in the flesh to slay our enemies and to bear our overwhelming burdens. Then they would be free to slay the dragons that breathe fire down the backs of their families. Maybe this shift in preaching toward a ‘pop-psychology/therapy’ session has been in part to address the audience that has shown up at church…..the women. But if we want men to come and to keep coming, our churches are going to have to meet the needs of men. Men need a clear, harsh presentation of God’s law followed by the sweet saving word of the gospel.

If you think about it, almost everything at church is geered toward women and children. And men notice…..and figure there’s not much there for them. So they leave, often never to return. And the statistics show that when they leave, that’s a death sentence for the children. Despite the overwhelming influence that mothers have on children, when it comes to faith, children follow their father. The statistical evidence is staggering; there is little chance that children will become people of faith if their father is not a man of faith. That’s makes the fact that fathers and men are leaving the church a big deal. In two or three generations, the effect is devastating…..to families and to culture.

Is your church a place where men can be men? Where they are fed by Christ’s body and blood and by His nourishing word? Does it have the feel of an 1980’s pop concert followed by a therapy session where “Jesus can be your lifecoach” ? Or are men engaged and challenged to join the battle of the church militant? To fight for their families and their children and to wage war against the world, the flesh, and the devil. Some churches recognize this ‘loss’ and try things like Superbowl parties and fishing excursions. These may delay the inevitable but it doesn’t address the core problem: the church has been feminized and men are increasingly making the decision to abandon ship. If this trend continues, the church will continue to lose men, and therefore, continue eventually to lose children.

In Leon Podles’ book The Church Impotent; the Feminization of the Church, Podles makes some interesting points. He states that part of the reason for this emasculation is a shift from focusing on the objective doctrines and work of Christ to the more subjective emotional ‘personal relationship’ with Christ. In religions that have clung closely to tradition such as Eastern Orthodoxy and Judaism, this feminization process has not been nearly as pervasive; and men don’t seem to be leaving. Muslims also have a higher percentage of men than women because it’s a very masculine religion that focuses on personal discipline and often ‘jihad’. It’s too bad that this shift has taken place in Christianity and we have been largely unaware. It’s conceivable that the very men leaving the christian church could be drawn in to such religions as Judaism and Islam; where tradition and masculinity are alive and well. And encouraged.

If you’re husband will attend church with you on Sunday, give him a big hug and smooch and then pay attention. Is the church you’re attending highly feminized? Does he go there ‘for you’? Does he feel like a fish out of water? If so, get somewhere where true doctrine is taught and masculinity is cherished and celebrated. Where he can be a man……..full of rough edges and irreverence and strength. Your children will thank you.

And if he will not be attending with you, ask yourself why? Could it be that your church has become too feminized? Will he be asked to embrace a more emotionally driven worship experience where he is left with little to ‘chew on’? And pray for him. That he would answer his God-given call and responsibility to lead his children to faith. For that is the essence of biblical masculinity; the giving up of oneself for another. The very willingness to die so that others might live.

We need a few good men. To lead our children to the saving faith that only Christ can give. And we ask our churches to stop catering to women and children. Trust me, we’re never more content than when our men are by our side…..at church.

For some informative talk radio on the subject, go here.