My non-Calvinist friends should probably stop reading now as I don't want to risk losing your friendships. :) But for the Reformed readers out there, keep on readin'!
You all must, absolutely must, without delay, checkout this link:
http://maniladrive.blogspot.com/2005/02/semi-pelagian-narrower-catechism.html
It is by far the funniest thing I have read in recent weeks. Some really clever person (a blogger at that!) wrote catechism questions and answers satirizing the non-reformed faith. Now if there is by chance a non-reformed person still reading this entry, I know that you do not all hold to all of the different assertions made in the "Semi-pelagian Narrower Catechism" but the hyperbole just adds to the fun of it all. :)
Just to tempt you, here a few of my personal favorite questions and answers:
9. Q: What is the assurance of thy salvation?
A: The assurance of thy salvation is, that I know the date on which I prayed the Sinner's Prayer, and have duly written this date on an official Decision card.
29. Q: What are the seven deadly sins?
A: The seven deadly sins are smoking, drinking, dancing, card-playing, movie-going, baptizing babies, and having any creed but Christ.
28. Q: Who is on the Lord's side?
A: He who doth support whatsoever is done by the nation of Israel, and who doth renounce the world, the flesh, and the Catholic Church.
The answer to this last question reminds me of one my pet peeves: the fact that some (many, it seems) fellow Christians actually do not believe that our Catholic brothers and sisters are really Christians! It really gets on my nerves to hear fellow Christians talking like all Catholics are going to hell. I am pretty darn sure that there will be plenty of Catholics in heaven, just like there will be plenty of so-called protestants in hell! And whether we like it or not, the Pope speaks for the Christian West so we may as well respect and support him.
OK, enough ranting for today. Enjoy reading the catechism and be sure to let me know some of your favorite questions and answers.
Thanks to my friends Ryan and Megan Gordon for sending me this link - it made my week!
Quote of the day
The quote of the day is, of course, from the Semi-pelagian Narrower Catechism
36. Q: Who is the Holy Spirit?
A: The Holy Spirit is a gentleman who would never barge in.
5.31.2006
5.24.2006
Family Ways
Last week-end was a busy, busy week-end. We headed to Savannah for my Dad's surprise 50th birthday party on Friday night and Charlie's baptism and Timmy's graduation on Sunday. It was quite a week-end and I've spent the first part of this week recovering. Thankfully Ryan and I have a peaceful place to stay in Savannah - my Aunt Tricia has a beach house on Tybee Island where we always stay. It is really nice and has plenty of room for Ryan, Charlie and I.
Anyway, for some details on the week-end, keep reading...
My dad turned 50 on 4/30 but my mom was late in planning the party so we just had it last week-end. There were about 50 people there and my dad had a blast. The food was great - pulled pork, barbecue chicken and ribs. A friend of the fam cooked it all using his secret spice rub and it was fabulous. My mom set up a big tent and strung lights in it, making a pretty scene. The best part was that my sis and I traded babies and I got to spend the night holding my nephew Tyson while she and my other little sis Caroline loved on Charlie. :) It's so fun to have them both together!
Charlie's baptism...what a special event. I was not prepared for how moving it would be when we stood in front of so many friends and family members and committed our tiny son to the Lord. The implications of that committment are pretty profound and I'm still contemplating how it will (and should) change our lives. Charlie looked PRECIOUS in the vintage baptism gown I purchased and monogrammed with an "M" so that all our children can wear it. Later this week, I'm going to have the bottom of it monogrammed with his initials and the date of the baptism. I'll post some pictures when I have them but unfortunately I'm at the mercy of my technologically impaired father to send me a CD of the pictures that were taken (Ryan and I had a camera issue last week-end). For those of you who don't quite get this infant baptism thing, see my links section for an article explaining why we do it. :)
Timmy is my 18 year old brother, 4th Boatright child. I'm pretty sure he wants to be called "Tim" but I just can't get in the habit - he'll always be "Timmy" to me! Anyway, he graduated on Sunday from my alma mater, Savannah Christian Preparatoy School. Unlike me, Timmy graduation Summa Cum Laude (I only graduated cum laude :)). Timmy is going to University of Georgia this fall, to the animal sciences program (he wants to be a vet!).
We headed home Sunday afternoon after the graduation and an early dinner and I was SO sad to leave. Having Charlie has really made me want to live closer to my family, especially since Anna & David have Tyson. I really want Charlie to know his aunts, uncles and cousins, not to mention his grandparents! So for the first time, I found myself actually thinking that I might one day want to live in or near Savannah again. I guess we'll see what the future holds for the Moodys!
Quote of the day:
The quote of the day today is from one of our many trips down to Savannah on the ugly, 2-lane south GA highways. We inevitably get stuck behind a slowpoke, which makes an already tedious trip even more annoying. On one of those such occaisions, Ryan stated the following:
"You can never get in front of all the dumb asses." - Ryan Moody
Anyway, for some details on the week-end, keep reading...
My dad turned 50 on 4/30 but my mom was late in planning the party so we just had it last week-end. There were about 50 people there and my dad had a blast. The food was great - pulled pork, barbecue chicken and ribs. A friend of the fam cooked it all using his secret spice rub and it was fabulous. My mom set up a big tent and strung lights in it, making a pretty scene. The best part was that my sis and I traded babies and I got to spend the night holding my nephew Tyson while she and my other little sis Caroline loved on Charlie. :) It's so fun to have them both together!
Charlie's baptism...what a special event. I was not prepared for how moving it would be when we stood in front of so many friends and family members and committed our tiny son to the Lord. The implications of that committment are pretty profound and I'm still contemplating how it will (and should) change our lives. Charlie looked PRECIOUS in the vintage baptism gown I purchased and monogrammed with an "M" so that all our children can wear it. Later this week, I'm going to have the bottom of it monogrammed with his initials and the date of the baptism. I'll post some pictures when I have them but unfortunately I'm at the mercy of my technologically impaired father to send me a CD of the pictures that were taken (Ryan and I had a camera issue last week-end). For those of you who don't quite get this infant baptism thing, see my links section for an article explaining why we do it. :)
Timmy is my 18 year old brother, 4th Boatright child. I'm pretty sure he wants to be called "Tim" but I just can't get in the habit - he'll always be "Timmy" to me! Anyway, he graduated on Sunday from my alma mater, Savannah Christian Preparatoy School. Unlike me, Timmy graduation Summa Cum Laude (I only graduated cum laude :)). Timmy is going to University of Georgia this fall, to the animal sciences program (he wants to be a vet!).
We headed home Sunday afternoon after the graduation and an early dinner and I was SO sad to leave. Having Charlie has really made me want to live closer to my family, especially since Anna & David have Tyson. I really want Charlie to know his aunts, uncles and cousins, not to mention his grandparents! So for the first time, I found myself actually thinking that I might one day want to live in or near Savannah again. I guess we'll see what the future holds for the Moodys!
Quote of the day:
The quote of the day today is from one of our many trips down to Savannah on the ugly, 2-lane south GA highways. We inevitably get stuck behind a slowpoke, which makes an already tedious trip even more annoying. On one of those such occaisions, Ryan stated the following:
"You can never get in front of all the dumb asses." - Ryan Moody
5.18.2006
Quotes
For those of you who know me well, you know that I love quotes. I love sharing quotes with anyone who will listen (or read) so of course the blogging world is the perfect outlet. :) I am going to attempt to include a "Quote of the Day" in every post in hopes to inspire you loyal readers...or at least to put to good use the quotes I've been diligently collecting since my senior year of high school!
The following is an excerpt from the Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. For those of you who haven't read the book, it's kind of a kind of "backwards" story creatively penned by C.S. Lewis to teach us about ourselves, God and the Devil. The book is a series of letters written by Screwtape to Wormwood. Below is a review from amazon.com (you really need to know the premise of the book to appreciate today's quote).
According to amazon.com:
The following is an excerpt from the Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. For those of you who haven't read the book, it's kind of a kind of "backwards" story creatively penned by C.S. Lewis to teach us about ourselves, God and the Devil. The book is a series of letters written by Screwtape to Wormwood. Below is a review from amazon.com (you really need to know the premise of the book to appreciate today's quote).
According to amazon.com:
"Each letter is a masterpiece of reverse theology, giving the reader an inside look at the thinking and means of temptation. Tempters, according to Lewis, have two motives: the first is fear of punishment, the second a hunger to consume or dominate other beings. On the other hand, the goal of the Creator is to woo us unto himself or to transform us through his love from "tools into servants and servants into sons." It is the dichotomy between being consumed and subsumed completely into another's identity or being liberated to be utterly ourselves that Lewis explores with his razor-sharp insight and wit."
Screwtapes writes to Wormwood about the Enemy's (God's) intentions for His creatures:
"...He leaves the creature to stand up on its own legs--to carry out from the will alone duties which have lost all relish. It is during such trough periods, much more than during the peak periods, that it is growing into the sort of creature He wants it to be. Hence the prayers offered in the state of dryness are those which please Him best...He wants them to learn to walk and must therefore take away his hand; and if only the will to walk is really there He is pleased even with their stumbles. Do not be deceived, Wormwood. Our cause is never more in danger than when a human, no longer desiring, but still intending, to do our Enemy's will, looks round upon a universe from which every trace of Him seems to have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys."
5.16.2006
How do they do that?
A few minutes ago Charlie was fussing in his pack 'n' play so I went to check on him. Turns out he was randomly (and I do mean randomly) covered in pee. There were a few spots on his back, one around one of the leg holes of his outfit and one on the other front/side. And the diaper was not even that soaked. I have no idea how he could pee in so many different places on one outfit. I mean, if it was the whole front or the whole back or the entire outfit, that would be one thing. But these patches of pee? Ah, the mysteries of parenting boys. I bet this doesn't happen with little girls!
5.15.2006
Recent happenings
It's been awhile since I've posted and I'm afraid that I have nothing profound to say today due to my current state of exhaustion. Charlie and I just got back last night from a long week-end in Charlottesville. Yes, Charlottesville - the two of us flew to Cville on Thursday sans Ryan to attend the wedding of my closest Charlottesville friend, Jill Abraham (now Jill Hummer). It was a beautiful wedding and thankfully with the help of the Vietnamese seamstress down the road, the bridesmaid dress fit OK. Not my most attractive appearance as a bridesmaid but at least the dress fit. :) The reception was held at Farmington Country Club and the food was phenomenal - pear/gorgonzola/mixed greens salad, fresh asparagus, squash & zucchini, thinly sliced rare fillet, crab-stuffed chicken - YUM. And the wine was a shiraz, which is my all-time favorite.
I'm so happy that I was able to participate in the festivities but the week-end and traveling with an infant has left me more than exhausted. Last night I found myself crying in bed for no reason during Desperate Housewives. And I never cry during that show- watching it is my top guilty pleasure. :) I have to hand it to my little son, though. He was a trooper and still managed to keep sleeping great at night in spite of being away from home and for the most part out of his normal routine. I attribute that to a good disposition and his recently-developed fondness for a little soft frog blanket/stuffed animal/toy thing. He sucks on this little toy and falls right to sleep. It really is precious. As soon as I figure out how to upload pictures from my camera (or as soon as someone emails me some pictures!) I'll post some new pictures of Charlie (who was 8 weeks old yesterday) and some pictures of the wedding. Until then, goodnight blog.
5.07.2006
Sleep
As anyone who has ever had a baby knows all too well, sleep becomes the ultimate goal soon after you bring the baby home from the hospital. The evasiveness of this goal, combined with the realization that I would have had a lot more energy had I had a child at 22 instead of 27, has made for a long 7 weeks. One of the more interesting facts about this topic is that mothers all over the country have told me how "lucky" I am in that Charlie slept from about 11:00 or 11:30 pm until 3:00 or 3:30 am (and then again until 7:30 or so) since he was about 3 weeks old, giving me about 6 or so hours of sleep total, divided by that one middle-of-the-night feeding. So the reality that I have been totally exhausted in spite of being "lucky" has made me literally live in fear for the time when he begins to sleep less (and fearful about having any subsequent children who might, horror of horrors, want to eat every 2 or 3 hours during the night). This fear has made the times when I should be sleeping difficult, as I often just toss and turn, waiting for him to wake-up, convinced at any moment that he will become a screamer instead of a sleeper.
And the story of sleep continues...last week-end we visited Ryan's parents in Carrollton, GA and on Friday night the little guy slept from the last feeding (10:30 or 11:00) until 5:45 am! I woke up scared to death, fearing he was dead! But no, he was in his carseat in the bathroom (more on that later) sleeping peacefully. On Saturday night, he slept until 6:45 am!! I woke up at 5:45 in total shock and laid in bed awake waiting for his cry. When it finally came, I responded with JOY, so thankful to my small son for the nearly 6 CONSECUTIVE hours of sleep. For most of this past week, the trend continued - Charlie would wake up between 5 and 6 am.
Then Friday night (as in the night before last) he slept until 7:15! I was again totally shocked. Now I did not get to take advantage of all of that time since he did take about an hour to cry himself to sleep and since Ryan was on call, which entails him getting paged for ICU crises and admissions all night long. But the fact that he showed the ability to sleep that long was worth celebrating. Last night he was back to the 5:30 am wake-up time but that's OK - my little son has showed me that he can sleep until 7am. And I am learning slowly but surely, that this time of sleep deprivation, uncertainty and chaos will pass and that one day, I'll go back to sleeping 8 hours a night...At least until I have another child or until Charlie becomes a teenager and I am awake worrying about his safety instead of his sleep habits. :)
PS - About sleeping in the carseat: Charlie has an aversion for lying down flat on his back and since the American Academy of Pediatrics frowns on stomach sleeping, he sleeps in his carseat. He has done this since he was 2 days old. We've tried the crib with positioners, the crib with sleep wedges that prop up the head, the crib by itself and all resulted in those horrific every 2 hour feedings. In the carseat, he sleeps like an angel, probably feeling cuddled by the small space. We are kind enough to put a blanket in the bottom so he doesn't have to lay on buckles all night long. And of course the carseat is in the crib, safe from the dogs.
Here are some pictures of Easter week-end at the beach (Charlie was 4 weeks old):
And the story of sleep continues...last week-end we visited Ryan's parents in Carrollton, GA and on Friday night the little guy slept from the last feeding (10:30 or 11:00) until 5:45 am! I woke up scared to death, fearing he was dead! But no, he was in his carseat in the bathroom (more on that later) sleeping peacefully. On Saturday night, he slept until 6:45 am!! I woke up at 5:45 in total shock and laid in bed awake waiting for his cry. When it finally came, I responded with JOY, so thankful to my small son for the nearly 6 CONSECUTIVE hours of sleep. For most of this past week, the trend continued - Charlie would wake up between 5 and 6 am.
Then Friday night (as in the night before last) he slept until 7:15! I was again totally shocked. Now I did not get to take advantage of all of that time since he did take about an hour to cry himself to sleep and since Ryan was on call, which entails him getting paged for ICU crises and admissions all night long. But the fact that he showed the ability to sleep that long was worth celebrating. Last night he was back to the 5:30 am wake-up time but that's OK - my little son has showed me that he can sleep until 7am. And I am learning slowly but surely, that this time of sleep deprivation, uncertainty and chaos will pass and that one day, I'll go back to sleeping 8 hours a night...At least until I have another child or until Charlie becomes a teenager and I am awake worrying about his safety instead of his sleep habits. :)
PS - About sleeping in the carseat: Charlie has an aversion for lying down flat on his back and since the American Academy of Pediatrics frowns on stomach sleeping, he sleeps in his carseat. He has done this since he was 2 days old. We've tried the crib with positioners, the crib with sleep wedges that prop up the head, the crib by itself and all resulted in those horrific every 2 hour feedings. In the carseat, he sleeps like an angel, probably feeling cuddled by the small space. We are kind enough to put a blanket in the bottom so he doesn't have to lay on buckles all night long. And of course the carseat is in the crib, safe from the dogs.
Here are some pictures of Easter week-end at the beach (Charlie was 4 weeks old):
The sisters with their boys
"Big Daddy" with his grand-boys:
5.05.2006
Here we come!
Today is the first day of my blogging career. I have known this day was coming for awhile but I didn't know today was IT until I sat down at my computer and found myself googling the word "blog." When I first found out about this blogging thing, I wasn't sure how I felt about it. Posting your thoughts and day to day activities for all of the internet world to read and see? It seemed kind of creepy to me. And I just wasn't sure I'd have an audience. I didn't want to bear the lonliness of never having anyone visit my blog! But thanks to my blogging friends, I'm now a believer. I'm all for any modern convention that allows me to stay in touch with friends who I don't have the pleasure of seeing on a regular basis. And now that I have a child, a blog is the perfect place to post all the many pictures we have taken of him since his entrance into the world 6 weeks ago! :) So enjoy, friends! And be patient with me while I continue to struggle with the "creepiness" of posting - I'm slowly coming around!
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