So into 100 Days of School!

Here's my husband, shining as a parent, at the top of some "be a wonderful parent" self-help blog.

As for Timmy's unusual glow, I think it was due to jaundice. He wasn't a particularly healthy kid at this stage, but we weren't particularly aware of it at the time. Thus, Jeff's smile.

And speaking of shining parents, let's not forget who snapped the picture! Of his 100's of flickr photos, this one has been picked most often. This makes three.

The latest batch from Jeff's "Picture of Ella a Day" project. Doesn't she look like Leanne? Hmm, I think he missed her yesterday altogether ... unless he snuck in while she was sleeping.

I was feelin' like a little N'awlins two weeks ago, so I ordered up some pralines from Aunt Sallys in the Vieux Carre.

Weeks ago, Jeff had eaten lunch out in Newark at a place with muffulettas. He took one bite of his sandwich and told the waitress, "This isn't a muffuletta. Where's the olive dressing?!" She had no answer.

So, I requested not only some original pralines, but two boxes of triple chocolate - Jeff likes chocolate but I'm afraid to even try it! - along with a small jar of muffuletta mix.

Unfortunately, when the order arrived, one of the chocolate boxes was missing. But I called up and she sent one out. It arrived a week later.

I've never made muffulettas before and I've only eaten one once. The jar has a recipe. And it's interesting that when I think "creole," I think "French." But a muffuletta is plenty Italian!¹ You'll just never get me to eat mortadella!

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¹ And I should try this recipe!

tags technorati : mardi gras muffuletta pralines

"She's texting me from Arizona."

"Oh, she's at the Superbowl?"

"Yeah, she goes every year. You know, her father played for the Giants."

"Yeah, I know. But that's a sweet deal. She gets tickets every year?!"

"Well, yeah, every year when the Giants are in it."

East Coast Shower Door Co. was scheduled to install a shower stall in the kids' bathroom this morning. The scheduler called first thing to cancel, saying her man is out sick.

When I told Jeff the bad news, he asked, "Out sick? Or Superbowl party?" Yeah, I can't tell.

This contractor is usually so reliable. That's why we went with them again. I thought their keeping the appointment was a sure thing. All bets are off when the home team wins the Superbowl.

Now East Co. want to reschedule, but the rest of my week is pretty booked.

Chris came to me with a blue, green and red crayon.

Handing me the red crayon, he said, "Make a '5' on this paper."

Then, with the green crayon, he said, "Make a '3' on the paper."

Thinking that I had it down, I took the blue crayon from his hand and asked, "Make a '1' now?"

"No, a '2'" he said. After that, I made a "1" and a "4" and we hunted for a brown crayon to make a "7".

The boy's obsessed.

Jeff was still in bed when I told him that Kenny and I were leaving for a service at the Baptist church by the Mall.

"So, that's an all-day thing?" he grumbled sarcastically.

"Oh, you know, a couple of hours, tops," I promised. Yes, I would get the laundry done when I returned. He has yet to go to work naked on Monday morning.

We arrived too early because the 10 AM Bible study, held in the sanctuary, wasn't finished. They were starting Hebrews, on chapter 1. That's tempting since I don't have a good grasp of that book. I heard the pastor say, "the Church Age."

Someone directed us downstairs for refreshments and Kenny stuffed his face with powdered munchkins, wiping his fingers on his shirt. Later when the pastor greeted us, he pointed to the smudges and said he could see that Kenny had got something to eat.

I could go blow-by-blow through the service because I took extensive notes. The Baptist Hymnal went untouched as we sang praise music from projected overheads. Kenny liked the hand-clapping. And the pew Bible went untouched as the bulletin contained the four verses of Scripture on which pastor's sermon¹ was based.

The first time that the minister raised his voice to a shout, Kenny whispered to me, "Why is he yelling?" That's just the style of preaching, I told him. Don't worry, he's not angry.

He raised his voice a couple more times, when recounting the central acts of Christian salvation: Christ's passion, death and resurrection². I set my face to his words and felt the heat of them from the back row. I thought, this is an exorcism. He wasn't speaking to my intellect any longer, but to my soul ... and the demons lurking there. Let's hope it bears fruit.

And, for all my many visits to Reformation churches, this was "communion Sunday," so I observed how communion is conducted in a Protestant church.

As a visitor, I was free to take a gift book. They had available copies of Warren's book, even in Spanish. I also saw a couple books by Fr. Girzone which I read, like, 20 years ago and one by Elizabeth Elliot which I would have been interested in, since I've read nothing by her but used to listen to her radio program.

There was no mad dash in the parking lot. In fact, Kenny and I were the only ones leaving. And I asked Kenny where he'd like to go next Sunday. He picked the Baptist church again but then he qualified it, "if only they had a choir loft like our church." Despite all the differences that I perceived, he said he thought the services were exactly the same!

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¹ The preaching was "biographical" as the example of Abram was discussed and "evangelistic" as we were called to a deeper commitment to Jesus, but it was not "expository" as very little Scripture was cited or discussed. Wiki.

² He said God's wrath was upon Jesus. cf. Catholic Answers Forum.

I accepted the appointment assuming that Jeff would also have a conflict. He didn't.

There was no one to watch Chris, but spending a weekday morning with Jeff was a pleasant prospect.

I didn't send the email to inform the study leader I'd be missing for a more important engagement. It's not as if I didn't think it would happen. I was praying it wouldn't! But I'd rather give accurate information, so night before is soon enough. And she called that afternoon to cancel. And to reschedule a week later. And again to cancel and reschedule.

I had been doing my study work, just for my own sake, assuming I wouldn't be sharing it. There is the usual last minute cram no matter how diligently I try to avoid it. The lesson was entirely on chapter 6 but, of course, we jump all over the place and Revelation certainly can't be left out.

My one concern, and I need to ask someone about it, is how she recited, from the King James, and applied Ephesians 5:26:

That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word

Because she insinuated that daily Scripture reading was a washing, a purification.

The word here is rhema, which for all we say about the active and living and God-breathed Scriptures (Heb. 4:12; 2 Tim. 3:16), seems to suggest a veritable spoken word, and words from a rite or ritual come to my mind. Now, these words could be Scriptural words, borrowed or based upon the Scriptures. That would be best. But it doesn't sound like something we pronounce over ourselves in our daily quiet time. Someone is pronouncing them on our behalf. If you want to say it's Christ, ok, but it could be someone acting in the person of Christ.

Short answer: it just sounds like water baptism to me.