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One of my chicks turns 7 today!

March 21, 2009 by Edie Wadsworth 1 Comment

and guess what she got for her birthday?

yep, chicks…..and ducks

You only turn 7 once, right? And I am a firm believer in a little bit

of childhood magic. So what if they ‘cheep’ alot. So what if there are 6 of them.

Life is messy. Might as well get your hands dirty.

And this particular wonderful spring time fun is

brought to you by Daddy…who apparently

thinks childhood is magical too.

The girls have named them

and held them…

and fed them…

and watched them….

and are currently running a little bath water

for the ducks to take a swim.

Every adult should occasionally put all rational thought aside.

And enjoy the small creatures God made.

So while my oldest chick is in NYC on a choir trip,

the younger chicks will play with their own ducks and chicks.

And watch cute YouTube videos of chicks hatching.

We throw caution to the wind

and celebrate

life’s little wonders.

More birthday fun to follow!

Email me with any advice on how to keep them alive!

P.S. One of my precious readers wrote the sweetest things about me and it really blessed me to read it. The isolating world of homeschooling is made easier by those of you who read this blog and offer so much encouragement. I am thankful for you all. Check out her blog here.

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White spray paint+green plants=Spring

March 19, 2009 by Edie Wadsworth Leave a Comment

Warning, you may need a mask to enter this post ’cause I’m Hooked on White Spray Paint.

First, let me start this little spring-y goodness with an introduction. Meet my new pool guy. He is a her. Her name is Emme, she’s eight years old and she is excited about her new job. Come July…..she will likely have quit or been fired. But for today, she vacuums like a champ.

And now through the delirium of the vast amounts of paint fumes I’ve inhaled, I give you ‘spray-painted spring’. Almost everything you see in the following pictures has been spray painted white. The check out lady at Lowe’s very surely suspects fowl play and may not be party to my antics if I try to purchase another can. But spring has sprung at my house. Come on in…..

Eggs, birds, and nests…..

Succulents, moss, and starfish…….

A once-hideous ceramic bird that begged me to take him home from Goodwill and paint him white. I said yes. He loves me. I consider myself a sort of wildlife rescue organization. If you hear of any other birds in need of help, let me know.

A very distressed garden bench moves inside

Beautiful silk fabric lightens up the room…..and God Himself decorates most wonderfully on the weeping cherry tree….

And this luscious rye grass…..was planted about 10 days ago. You must do this. It will restore your faith in your ability to grow things. Or at least your ability to plant things and watch them grow.

More succulents in white urns……

And a little cheery silky lightness to the beds…….where we enjoyed our new favorite movie….. Sense and Sensibility.

So, here’s my advice to you: look around your house and collect things you think should go to Goodwill. Then spray paint them white and call it ‘spring’. Rescue some birds ‘in distress’. And I would also advise planting some rye grass seeds in various pots so that they will be ready for Easter. Or plant the seeds in small glass containers for place settings for Easter dinner. Plant some succulents inside. Spray and plant. Plant and spray. Spring will thank you. And so will the birds. Visit Rhoda’s site for other spring inspiration.

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…….and this baptism now saves you……..

March 17, 2009 by Edie Wadsworth 14 Comments

I like to preface any attempt at theological discussion with this; I am not a Bible scholar, have not been to seminary, do not know Greek or Hebrew, and am utterly unqualified to be held as an authority on scripture. I do not represent the Lutheran church and do not presume to any biblical scholarship. I love discussing theology. I read alot and listen to hours and hours every week of solid christian talk radio. My circuitous route through fundamentalism and evangelicalism and now Lutheranism has given me an interesting perspective on a variety of doctrinal issues. I would love your input and discussion and my intention with posts like this is to inform you of commonly held Lutheran doctrine and to encourage you to think and search the scriptures in your own quest for truth.

First Peter 3:21 states “this baptism now saves you”. Titus 3:5 states that ‘he saved you by the washing of regeneration’. I grew up learning and memorizing the scriptures early in life and I never knew those particular scriptures were there until I became Lutheran. Lutherans believe and teach infant Baptism and in my journey from evangelicalism to lutheranism, this teaching was the hardest for me to grasp. I had been taught the ‘believers’ baptism’ and that baptism is an outward demonstration of an inward change; that baptism did not impart any gifts to me but instead was my way of showing the world my obedience to Christ.

The first issue I’ll address is the concept of original sin. Most confessional christians will agree that the Bible teaches that we are born dead in our trespasses and sin. We inherited the sin nature from Adam and are therefore sinful from our birth. Furthermore, often in the old testament, when the Lord’s judgement reigns down on the people of Isreal, the children are included in that judgement. (Ex. 11:5)(I Sam.15:3). And if they are included in God’s judgement, musn’t they by necessity be guilty of the original sin nature? There does not seems to be an age of ‘accountability’ when these judgements were given. The children and infants faced judgement along with their parents. If you agree that we are born totally depraved but do not believe in infant baptism, then what is the ‘protection’ for children who die before they reach the alleged ‘age of accountability? Most christians would say that God just saves them anyway…..even though they are born into original sin. If you would concede that point then you would concede that God could indeed give that child the gift of faith in Christ….as that is what required for salvation.

Moreover, Lutherans would contend that the Bible teaches that that very faith is something only God could give us, as we are dead in our trespasses and sins. So if God could give a small child faith in those circumstances, then why could he not impart that same faith to an infant in Baptism? The water in and of itself does not impart salvation, but the Word of God combined with the water wields the saving power. God often uses common human elements to impart His gifts to us. And though He accomplished salvation for us on the cross over 2000 years ago, how does that salvation ‘get’ to us, for lack of a better word? We apprehend that His scriptures teach they ‘get’ to us through His means of grace; Baptism and the Lord’s supper. Does this negate grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone? No. In short, faith receives the gifts God gives.

The second issue is that of free will. Lutherans believe, teach and confess that our ‘wills’ are dead in sin just like the rest of ourselves. We basically have a ‘free won’t’ not a free will, at least when it comes to spiritual matters. God must enliven us by His word so that we may receive His gifts. Does this mean that if we are baptized as infants God has coerced us since we did not get to ‘choose’ Him? No, He has merely removed our natural-born resistance to Him through His gift of faith to us. The scriptures are rife with examples of infants and children who have faith. (Jn 1:12-13, Phil. 2;13, Matt 19). Does this require that we participate in any way in our salvation? Does the fact that a child is eight years old and seems to know right from wrong mean he can fully comprehend spiritual matters? Hardly. Even at that age, we can likely agree that faith is given as a gift to him which it will take him a lifetime to grow into. And I can attest from many years of experience with my own children that those cute cuddly little ones are evil through and through. And we all need the gift of salvation sooner rather than later.

Thirdly, baptism is instituted in the New Testament as a means of grace. The Jewish people included children as part of God’s salvation by circumcising their infants on the 8th day as commanded by God. This was the entry point into God’s family……at 8 days old. So when Paul says in Col.2:11-12 , “that in Him (that is in Christ) you were circumcised with a spiritual circumcision and you were buried with Him in baptism”, the Jews knew full well the meaning of that. They were accustomed to children being incorporated into God’s family. John 3 clearly states that you must be born of the water and of the flesh. Pastor Wilken from Issues, Etc put it this way, “If infants and children are not accountable and are not in need of the gifts given in baptism, then why do they die? The wages of sin is death. Those wages have been paid for by Christ. We partake of that redemption through baptism. The vast majority of believers over time have practiced infant baptism and still do today. It is first mentioned in writings from as early as the 2nd century. Only in the last couple hundred years did the teaching of a believer’s baptism emerge. Baptism is the new circumcision. It is how we are ‘marked’ as ones who are in Christ.

It comes down to this. Is salvation my work or God’s work? Do I contribute anything to my salvation? Does it depend on my sincerity or my level of faith? Or must I trust completely in Christ…..in His work and His gift……. to do for me what He has promised, regardless of age. We believe that it is fully God’s work and that He can impart that gift to an infant in the same manner that He can impart it to an adult. Christ left us with these words, “Go therefore into all nations and make disciples, teaching and baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” Who is included in this gospel message? All nations. All people. Even babies. They had been included all along as part of God’s redemption. The Word of God from the beginning has had the power of supernatural creation. Of the universe. Of man. Of faith. Faith is God’s miraculous gift to us at any age.

Do I doubt that God actually does something in baptism or that He actually imparts to me forgiveness and salvation by these common elements of water and bread and wine? All the time. But His promises are stronger than my doubt. I cling to His promise. To His miracle. It crushes my need to be rational and logical. The gospel of Christ is foolishness to the world. There is nothing in christianity that neatly ‘makes sense’. As C.S. Lewis says, “Christianity is precisely the story of a great miracle.” And if you remove the miracles, you have removed the essence of our faith. To paraphrase and quote Lewis:

It (christianity) has those odd elements that ‘real’ things have. Remember the very curious process by which we acquire our natural life…a process involving pleasure, pain and often danger. It’s a process you would never have guessed. “Now the God who arranged that process is the same God who arranges how the new kind of life-the Christ life- is to be spread. We must be prepared for it being odd too. I cannot see why this (baptism and the Lord’s supper) should be conductors of the new life. But He did not consult us when He invented sex; as has not consulted us either when He invented this.”

For informative talk radio on the subject, I highly recommend this segment.
And comments are open, so chat away!

"Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men"

March 16, 2009 by Edie Wadsworth 1 Comment

This was previously posted on Lyndsay’s site as part of a series on mothers, but I wanted to include it for part of my archives.

I am a newbie homeschooler. I have four children, two of which are attending the local public highschool and are doing very well as I document here and here. My oldest graduates this year (in 83 days to be exact) so I’m in general quick to tears and completely unable to remember my middle name most days. At the end of the last school year, my 8 year old begged me to homeschool her. And since I had recently quit my profession as a family practice physician and was feeling a little lost in a sea of purposelessness, and because I love books and learning and had secretly always wanted to homeschool, I agreed to shoulder the responsibility of my children’s education. It seemed a more meaningful alternative than offering free pap smears out of the back of my SUV, which would have at least fulfilled my need to participate in serving humanity.

It was a whirlwind of a summer. I read every book on classical education I could find and scoured countless blogs of real life stories of homeschoolers in every attempt to make sure I would not be caught off guard…..and then set out to transform my garage into a schoolroom(shown above). We settled on a curriculum called The Well-Trained Mind with a heavy emphasis in history, great books, and memorization. The first month I printed a computerized schedule that catalogued every 15 minute increment of every day. My goals were lofty and my need to check things off the list strangled out the geniune love that I have for my children and for learning. In violent reaction to my self-imposed web of stuffy structure, I made all manner of resolutions, and even one pinky swear, never to interrupt pure children’s play again. I kept that vow until we got behind in math. And then I announced, in no uncertain terms, to my pupils that, “All pinky swears are null and void until you can count by 25’s to 400. And back. Mmmkay? Step away from the legos.

My maiden voyage into the tempestuous waters of homeschooling has been a bit akin to when Odysseus left Troy after rescuing Helen. Poseidon, the raging greek god of the sea, must have had it in for me. These waters seemed to toss me about with little regard for the fact that I had never had proper lessons in sailing or fishing and would prefer to decorate the boat to actually navigating it. And that is what landed me in my bathroom sobbing uncontrollably for two hours, which I painstakingly detail in this post. But as the scriptures claim that God’s mercies are new every morning and as March ushers in spring , I find that I finally seem to have found my ‘sea-legs’. And as all veteran homeschoolers that I know have assured me, any semblance of ‘staying afloat’ the first year is a success. All that belaboring aside, homeschooling my children has been one of the greatest joys of mothering. I know them more intimately and have been able to gently shepherd their hearts.

The frantic pace of life seems to have slowed down a bit.

There’s time for holding baby dolls and making great food.

There’s time for seed gardens and digging in dirt.

……there’s time for sewing skirts (that are clearly too short and require leggings) and for painting laundry room cabinets.

And since we’ve been entrenched in studying the ancient Greeks, there’s time to stage battles between Greece and Persia. And even time to spray paint the soldiers.

We sometimes take our books outside and do our math as we watch daffodils poke through the ground.

We commit more to memory than I ever dreamed was possible for young children. We’ve memorized eleven poems, thirty verses of scripture, the catechism of the ten commandments, and a long history and bible catechism that covers from Genesis to the time of the Greeks.

My girls have developed a love for reading and have read many great books this year such as Popper’s Penguins, Babe, Charlotte’s Web, Stuart Little, and the Magic Treehouse books, just to name a few. They’ve listened to lots of books on tape and have enjoyed stories such as Little Women, The Railway Children, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Tale of Desperaux, among others.

We recently made Bucephalus (the horse of Alexander the Great) and then rode around the house all afternoon ‘on horseback’. We listen to classical music and sometimes stay in our jammies until 10. Or 11. We ride bikes, memorize latin, look for birds, and watch dance tutorials on YouTube. We sing and chant grammar jingles and read stories that take us to foreign lands.

We have enough organization to keep us honest…..

and enough bubble gum to keep us smiling.

There are days when I feel completely overwhelmed and inadequate. There are days when I’m not sure that I am the best teacher for my children. There are days when I’m drowning in books and dirty laundry and whining. But this is my vocation. This is where God has placed me, the job He has given me to do. I purpose to be thankful for today, for these children, for this chance to teach them, to shepherd their hearts and fill their minds with truth and wisdom. Maybe this is what Christ had in mind when He called us to be fishers of men.

I leave you with a quote from a book I’m reading aloud to them called Eight Cousins by Louisa May Alcott. It has some of the most beautifully constructed sentences that I believe I’ve ever read. I guess I wish for my girls days like those Rose, the protagonist of the story, enjoyed.

“Rose leaned where she was, and fell to thinking how many good times she had had lately, for the gardening had prospered finely, and she was learning to swim and row, and there were drives and walks, and quiet hours of reading and talking……she could work and play all day, sleep sweetly at night, and enjoy life with the zest of a healthy, happy child.”

Perhaps the greatest benefit is that homeschooling seems to foster lifelong learning for us all. They see me reading and learning and memorizing right along with them. We learn and love and live….together.

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How to Survive a Rainy Day with 5 teenagers, 2 small children, and 2 dogs

March 15, 2009 by Edie Wadsworth Leave a Comment

1st Make some dough and bake something. We made biscuits (in the craziest little shapes) and gravy and bacon and eggs. Every rainy day should have dough.

2ndly Recruit your small children to be the pictionary master of ceremonies and keeper of the sands of time.

3rdly Divide the teams into boys versus girls. The competition will be fierce.

4thly Pass out bubble gum to all players. Bubble gum= fun. Everytime.

5thly Give the boys a little slack, despite the fact that they frequently use illegal verbal gestures to supplement their very poor drawings.

6thly Help the boys out on the only drawing that seemed straight forward. That’s a sprinkler. I gave the verbal hint that ‘small children like to run through them’.

That didn’t even work instantly. But finally they got it.

7thly Be thankful that when they draw very rough illustrations of North America and Africa, they get their geography right.

8thly Play a few rounds of charades and then prepare the teens for prom by teaching them the basic waltz step. (Perhaps this will give them a better alternative when the rest of the young folks at the dance are exposing their poor taste in dance styles). Remember boys, always start with your outside leg, go up onto your toes when you move forward or backward, and always hold your head up. Be a strong leader and always be a gentleman.

9thly Praise Andrew for teaching Hank to waltz.

10thly Praise Taylor for only stepping on Morgan’s toes thirty two times.

and lastly….finish the day off by watching Sense and Sensibility with the little girls.

Boredom averted. Rainy days welcome.

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On your mark, get set, write……

March 13, 2009 by Edie Wadsworth Leave a Comment

This computer screen, with all manner of half finished posts, is taunting me.

I think this ‘no comments’ thing is messin’ with my head. First, I notice that I’m a little ‘detached’ from blog world. Not in a bad way, but just, well, detached. Then I notice that I sit in front of the computer to write and……..nothing.

I got nothin’.

I mean, I got lots of stuff floating around in this blond little head-o-mine, but it is not coming out easily. I’ve started six posts in the last week that I haven’t finished. And that is so unlike me. I usually can’t narrow it down to just one topic, but for some reason, I’ve lost my mo-jo. So, until Stella gets her groove back, you’ll just have to enjoy my week in pictures.

And as you will see, I have no shortage of inspiration. What is wrong with me??

My grass seed is starting to sprout….and should be full and luscious by Easter.

My tomatoes and herbs are growing like weeds too…..I hope it gets warm soon, so these little babies can go outside.

I’ve been teaching my pupils everything from contractions to the story of Romulus and Remus and filling up these bookshelves with a few more C.S. Lewis books. I’ll soon start The Great Divorce. Read it with me and we’ll discuss.

I’ve been baking brownies and eating grapefruits and reading The Autobiography of Ben Franklin.

I’ve been mistreating my windows with some be-yoo-tee-ful linen fabric…..

and continuing my quest to spray paint everything white. Please, if you love me at all, spray paint something white this weekend. Spring will thank you.

And I’ve even been doin’ a little smoochin’…….

and bread bakin’…….

and gazing at this gorgeous set of handmade, hand-turned wooden salt and pepper mills. Thank you Uncle Troy. Surely they will inspire some writing worthy to be read.

and last but not least……. I have TULIPS! I have tulips and books and grass and basil and one smoochy husband and four delightful children. SO WHY DO I STARE BLANKLY AT THE COMPUTER SCREEN? I do not know. But until my mo-jo or my groove returns, I’m gonna keep painting and baking and reading.

And maybe soon I’ll finish that post on infant baptism…..or that one on strong-willed children….or that update on my new year’s resolutions.

Or maybe I’ll just become a photography blogger.

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