Happy Birthday Dave!

Dave really did get a little surprised with this "birthday treat".  Alise got a little pay-back time on her dad.  I didn't get the camera rolling quickly enough, but you can get most of the picture on how it went down.  (I apologize for the annoying female voice in the background!)

We also all enjoyed going to Wrigley Field the night before.  Dave's brother, Matt, went with us, and it was great just being together.  Oscar and Lina went too.  Dave had fun teaching them the game of baseball.  The Cub's lost, but Wrigley is always a joy!

A Grand Easter Weekend!

Happy Easter to you all!  We had an Easter to remember.  I love this time of year when my thoughts reflect on the story of Christ and His resurrection.  What a gift He has given us, and it brings so much joy to my heart!  We went to the Willow Creek Easter service on Saturday night with our friends, Oscar and Lina.  Before we headed to the service, we enjoyed dinner together.  I fixed a real ham (the kind with a bone in it), and the kids colored eggs.  Our dinner was quite enjoyable, and Dave and I decided that we are going to have our Easter dinner on Saturday night as our tradition.  Sunday morning was bright and beautiful. We went to our Ravenswood Covenant Church for Easter breakfast and then enjoyed worshipping with our Ravenswood congragation.  I admit that we left the service a bit early so that we could change from our Easter attire into our Twins attire quickly and head to our train.  What a fun afternoon we had (even though our team lost!) at the outdoor US Cellular Field!  It was so great having our Minnesota Twins in town!  I've decided that we are definitely a baseball family.  (Of course, we love our basketball too)  If any of you missed it, let me know because we also got on Minnesota tv, and we were circled by Bert!  That's been my goal for several years!  You can view our small clip of fame on my facebook page.   

Picture Descriptions: Easter supper arround our dining room table, Our family picture taken at Willow Creek Church, Standing at our Damen train stop waiting to board the southeast bound train, Dave and Natalie with lunch in hand, View from Cellular Field looking towards the big city of Chicago, Twins fans - Emily and Alise, Luke - after a great run around the bases (after the game - ha!)

Posted by: Anita

Emily Turns 10!

It's hard to believe that 10 years ago, I became a new mom.  I'm amazed at how fast the time goes and also how many changes occur in 10 years.  We celebrated Emily's birthday in great fashion. Carla and Kayla Rudie came to visit us, and they helped us celebrate Emily's birthday. Kayla, Emily, Carla, and I went to the top of the John Hancock for dessert on Friday night.  I knew that Emily would love that experience and she didn't let me down. She exclaimed to Carla in a hushed and awed voice as they were looking out one of the windows, "This is the best night of my life!" On Saturday, Emily's actual birthday, we all (minus the scholarly fellow that I live with) went to the Children's Museum.  Emily opened her presents that night and was so excited about getting a new Bible (which thrilled this mother's heart).  Then we ended the day with cake and ice cream.

What does this mean?

In the Covenant Church we have the affirmation that says, "We believe in the Holy Scriptures, the Old and New Testaments, as the Word of God, and the only perfect rule for faith, doctrine, and conduct."  What does this mean in 300 words?  Here is my attempt at an explanation:

The affirmation means that we as followers of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; as followers of the God who came to us incarnate in Jesus Christ have been given a Word.  The Holy Scriptures is not the only Word of God per se as Jesus Himself is described as the Word of God and God speaks to us in many different ways, but I believe that what this affirmation is saying here is that this written word is truly from God as it is actually God’s Words.  The word "holy" points to this as well, as only something perfectly good and righteous can rightly be describe by the word holy.  This affirmation uses the words:  holy, the Word of God, and perfect to make a strong case for us to trust the Scriptures.  Through these words the affirmation urges us to have confidence that the Scriptures will in no way lead us astray, that we can entrust our very lives to them.

            The affirmation helps to clarify what these authoritative Scriptures are in the Christian faith so that any ambiguity might be avoided.  Is only the New Testament authoritative?  No, the Scriptures we rely on are the Old and New Testaments that have been agreed upon by our brothers and sisters who have gone on before us.  There is to be nothing more and nothing less.

            These books alone contain what we need for the essential things in our life.  As I reflect on this affirmation it is a bold and powerful statement.  All that we need to believe and trust in God, all that we need to be taught concerning the principles of the Christian life, and all that we need to know what standard of personal behavior is required of us can be found in the Old and New Testaments.  This affirmation loudly and succinctly tells us how important and invaluable our Scriptures really are.