Sally Forth! The Hitchcocks in Scotland

New Blog

2008-09-25T09:28:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone!

We've got a new blog, so check it out here.

Christina, Nathan and Z

The Old Has Passed Away, the New Is Coming

2008-08-23T08:25:00.000-07:00

Friends and family,

As you might have suspected, we have concluded our commitment to blog for the year. Thanks for riding through the highs and lows with us. We hope that you got to experience vicariously just a little bit of Scotland.

Christina and I are talking about starting up a new family blog, mainly for posting pics of Lazarus. Once that is set up, we'll have a link from this page to the new one.

With love and respect,

Nathan

Homeward Bound

2008-08-07T13:35:00.001-07:00

We're coming back to the States tomorrow (Friday, August 8). If you think about it, please pray that we have a safe and entirely boring trip!

Are the Hitchcocks Accented?

2008-08-06T03:23:00.000-07:00

Brace yourselves, people. We've picked up a serious Scottish brogue since arriving on this verdant isle.

Okay, not really. Okay, not at all. Edinburgh is far too cosmopolitan to have any kind of standard accent. There are as many English-sounding accents as Scottish. But to commemorate the fine sound of the Scots, we're including a fabulous video from The Proclaimers called "Throw the R Away."

St. Andrews

2008-07-28T06:15:00.000-07:00

Last week we took a short overnight trip to St. Andrews. What a beautiful little town! Unfortunately, our camera broke a couple of weeks ago, so the pictures below are from the internet, but they give you an idea of where we were.

We took the bus from Edinburgh and arrived in the center of town about 2 hours later. Here's a view of the town from above. Our hotel was about 2 miles outside of town, and from our room window, St. Andrews looked wonderfully medieval -- all spires and old stone buildings. I (Christina) imagined that was what Hogsmead would look like from Hogwarts.

After we arrived, we walked around a little and discovered this ruin at the north end of town. It's a cathedral and castle. We ate our picnic lunch in the cathedral cemetary, just in the bottom left corner of the picture below.

After lunch, we set off to find our hotel. We got a great deal on a beautiful hotel that sits about 2 miles outside of St. Andrews. Unfortunately, we couldn't find a bus that would take us there, so we decided to walk. The walk was very pretty, following a highway that went right along the coast. When the sidewalk ended, we decided to follow a path cutting across one of St. Andrews' famous golf courses. This worked fine until the path dead-ended in what seemed to be a private dairy farm. Fortunately, we ran into a man working there, and he very generously told us we could cut across his fields, which bordered the hotel's golf course. So we went off-roading with the stroller, cutting a path through some very thick grasses and making our way through an extremely rusty gate. But we made it! And the hotel was just as pretty as the pictures made it out to be. (In the picture below, you can see the tall grass just at the edge of the golf course. It was from there that we emerged. Nathan said we had 5 star accommodations and 0 star travel!)

When we arrived in the reception area (below) we were a little grungy and sweaty (the day was absolutely beautifu! The first real summer day since we've been here!), so we were looking forward to settling into our room and hitting the pool. Unfortunately, our room wasn't ready yet so the receptionist very kindly sent us into the lounge with free drinks until the room was ready. The free drinks helped make the hour go by nicely, and the room we eventually received was definitely worth the wait. The pool was wonderful, and as usual Z loved it. There was also a hot tub, sauna and steam room. Fortunately we had brought our own supper, because the hotel restaurants and room service were unbelievably expensive. A single bowl of cornflakes cost 4 pounds. That's 8 dollars. And that was pretty much the cheapest thing on the menu.

After Z went to bed, Nathan and I took turns going back down to the pool, or, more specifically, the hot tub for me and the steam room for him. The steam room was 80 degrees centigrade -- a little too hot for me!

The next morning we had breakfast at the hotel, as it was included in the cost of the room. Big spread of food, and we all ate our fill, including Z, who had a big bowl of porridge as well as some fruit and yogurt.

The hotel allowed us to have a late check-out, so we had time for another dip in the pool and then a quick nap for Z. After that, we took a hotel shuttle back to St. Andrews. We walked around a bit and discovered St. Mary's College, which houses the University of St. Andrews' divinity school. The buildings of the college formed a square with a pretty, grassy quad in the middle (picture below). There's a tree in the quad that was planted there by Mary, Queen of Scots! We daydreamed a little about what it would have been like if Nathan had enrolled in St. Mary's instead of New College, but decided we were happy with the way things are.

We ate lunch at a Chinese restaurant playing '80s dance music, because unfortunately we were walking along the wrong street and missed all the really good restaurants. The picture below is of the high street. We stopped at the shop just beside the blue shop and got an ice-cream cone.

After that we headed to the beach. Again, the day was beautiful -- sunny and warm. It was at this beach that the opening scene of Chariots of Fire was filmed. (If you watch the clip to the end, you'll see they actually run in to St. Andrews. We walked across that same field on our way from the beach to the bus station.) Z didn't know quite what to make of the sand, but he seemed to be enjoying it nonetheless.

Then back home to Edinburgh. What a nice little vacation!

The Church Baby

2008-07-16T03:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Z's first birthday! Nathan and I are pretty proud of ourselves for getting through the first year successfully. (I realize many of you more veteran parents are smiling indulgently at that last sentence.) We celebrated with a spaghetti and meatballs lunch, which Z ate all on his own, followed up with chocolate cake, which he also ate on his own. We've discovered Z has a terrible liking for chocolate, and makes a funny chuckling noise whenever he's allowed to eat it. We had chocolate brownies a few days earlier when we celebrated his birthday with our good friends the Fishers. We took brownies and icecream over to their place and had a little birthday party in the back yard.

Here's Z eating his icecream.

Niamh (that's pronounced Neve -- it's Irish) gave Z a little star-spangled beanie-baby. He really loved the wrapping paper, which Niamh actually made herself at school.

Aoife (pronounced Eefa) gave Z a cute little stuffed bunny, which is in the red present waiting to be unwrapped. The girls, especially Niamh, love Z to death!

After the feast!

Several other people from church remembered Z's birthday, which was really nice. One older lady from church gave him a card which I thought was wonderful, as it was addressed simply to "The Church Baby". Z is usually the only baby at church, but I think he really is the church baby in a deeper way. I've found it very interesting this year attending a church which does not have a systematic program of "family friendliness," because I've actually found it to be more "friendly" to Z than some churches who make that their slogan. This friendliness to Z consists mostly in simply including him in the regular life of worship. There is a nursery (for which I am very grateful!), but the children come back to the service for the eucharist, which is received every Sunday. During the Eucharist (the entire liturgy), Z is included as a member of the church, one who has been baptized into the body of Christ. For example, when we pass the peace, nearly everyone who speaks with Nathan and I also gives Z's hand a little shake and tells him, most sincerely, "Peace be with you." When it is time for the supper itself, we take Z up to receive the bread and wine, and although he's not old enough to eat or drink yet, the priest always gives him a blessing, including him in the grace of the meal. It's a wonderful practice, and draws children, including infants, into the life of the church in a way that I believe is indicated in their baptism. "Family friendly" churches tend to hustle the children away to do their own thing, and allow the parents to concentrate on the service, and I definitely think this has its place and can be very appropriate. However, I have never approved of excluding baptized children from the Lord's Supper, whether it's an accidental exclusion (they're in the nursery when everyone is receiving the Supper) or an intentional exclusion (they're too young to understand so they shouldn't be allowed to participate. Good grief! I'm too young to understand!) So I believe that Z really is "the church baby," or, perhaps a better way to put it, the church's baby.

I am thankful for this since it is validation of our prayers at his baptism -- that he would belong to Christ and his body, the Church. Too often it seems infant baptism becomes a "family" event, rather than a church event. Infant baptism is not the family (i.e., parents, grandparents, etc) claiming their child for God; it is God claiming that child for himself, his kingdom and the Church. If anything, it is an event which marginalizes the family in the life of the child, for he too will be called to "leave houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields" for the sake of Christ (Matt. 19:29).

Several years ago I read Hudson Taylor's autobiography (which, by the way, is wonderful). As Taylor is getting ready to set sail for China, his mother comes on board the ship to say goodbye to him, probably forever. She tells Taylor that she and her husband had prayed, from the day that he was born, that he would be a missionary for the Lord. Even at his very birth, she prayed, essentially, that God would take him away from her in his service. That's someone who knows what it means to baptize a baby.

Nathan and I are trying to learn that same lesson, and at Z's baptism we had this song played, because it has that same theme. This child belongs to God, to do with as he will. All we can do is trust the holy God.

"By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, 'It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.' Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death" (Heb. 11:17-19).

Traveling for Homeschoolers

2008-07-15T00:41:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I'm a little bitter that I (Nathan) wasn't homeschooled, considering that my own mother is a homeschooling specialist. But I can vouch for her that she knows what she's talking about when she writes about "The Nuts and Bolts of Homeschooling and Travel" in MAP Magazine.

The Boy Is Mobile

2008-07-05T07:15:00.000-07:00

Just shy of his first birthday, the Z-man is ambulatory. In celebration of the 4th of July he began crawling. Just as we were warned, this now means having to worry constantly about what he is going to get into. For instance, he has started incorporating dustbunnies into his daily diet.

It's amazing how fast it all changes. Z is also standing up in his crib, kneeling, and doing yoga moves reserved only for the most devoted athletes.

Scholarly News

2008-06-30T02:01:00.000-07:00

We have very good news! Nathan had his boards about a week ago, and he was successfully upgraded to a full Ph.D. candidate. According to the system here, all Ph.D. students are technically considered masters students their first year. During that first year they are expected to produce a significant piece of writing, upon which basis they will then be upgraded for years two and three. Here at the University of Edinburgh, the upgrade process includes an oral defense in front of a board. Nathan wrote one of the chapters of his dissertation (here, thesis), and defended that before his board on June 17. I'm sure he'll have more information to post later, but the imporant news is that he was successfully upgraded. Yay!

Another piece of good news is that Nathan has just received word that he's going to have a full length article published in an academic journal called Literature and Theology. The issue goes to press this month, and will be out soon thereafter!

Case against Planned Parenthood

2008-06-13T03:19:00.000-07:00

The Kansas Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case against Planned Parenthood yesterday (June 12). Anyone who is interested in the status of abortion issues in America at the moment, or anyone who is interested in how a state supreme court hears arguments, will be very interested in listening to the oral arguments here. This link will take you to my sister-in-law's blog (my brother, her husband, is the attorney for Phil Kline), and you can follow a link there to listen to the entire argument. It is extremely interesting, so I'd encourage you to have a listen. (For background to the oral argument, follow the links in our May 30 post).

Parental Visit

2008-06-09T08:32:00.001-07:00

Taking a walk.

Dad the vandal.

Mom and Dad at the Royal Botanical Gardens.

Waiting for the bus.

Z's first taste of lemon, courtesy of Yaya.

Z's funny face.

Fun times in the pool.

Future botanist in the Botanics.

Future botanist eating his subject.

Daddy and Z.

Planned Parenthood in Kansas

2008-05-30T06:30:00.000-07:00

There is a large and extremely important case being argued before the Kansas Supreme Court this month. It's complicated, but what it comes down to is that Planned Parenthood has been performing illegal abortions in Kansas, doctoring the evidence, and suing the state attorney general when he started investigating them. For an overview of the case and all the relevant information, please check it out here and here. This is an incredibly important moment in the fight against abortion -- please read the articles and remember to pray about it. Please also pass these links on to others so that the light of truth can be brought to bear on the Kansas governor and Kansas courts.

How do you use this . . . ah . . . beek?

2008-05-24T09:33:00.000-07:00

Prince Caspian

2008-05-21T02:06:00.000-07:00

Two nights ago Nathan and I saw Prince Caspian. I've been looking forward to seeing it because I genuinely enjoyed the movie version of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. Sadly, I cannot say the same thing about Prince Caspian.

My first complaint is the same one I have of so many movies that are based on beloved books. The book is beloved for a reason! Why movie producers think it's prudent to change the plot so much as to make it almost unrecognizable is beyond me. This is exactly what has happened with Prince Caspian. Apparently the book is much too slow and boring, so to jazz it up a little, the movie adds battle scene after battle scene. The movie also adds in a little romance which, again, is nowhere to be found in the book. As a result of all the new battles, there is zero time for character or plot development. I'm pretty sure the movie doesn't even make sense. I found myself filling in the blanks and gaps from my knowledge of the book, but without that, the movie is very hard to follow because it wanders from one battle to the next without any clear direction except the constant need for action. In addition to the action and romance, the movie has also added a chip the size of Toledo onto Peter's shoulder. Why? I have no idea. But Peter is riddled with teenage insecurity and drama, all of which is apparently exacerbated by the fact that he "once was a grown up" and now everyone just treats him like a kid. Jerks.

However, my biggest complaint involves the treatment of Aslan. In the book, Aslan shows himself first only to Lucy, and she is called to follow him during a time when the children and Trumpkin are lost. Lucy makes a valiant effort to convince the others, but only Edmund believes her, so in the end Lucy goes with the others instead of following Aslan. Later, Aslan rebukes her for this and tells her she should have followed him even if no one else had. In the movie, Lucy also sees Aslan when no one else does, but the movie fails to indicate the call to obedience that is involved in her sighting of him. The movie therefore also fails to indicate her lack of obedience, and the lack of faith in the others. Instead, Lucy is treated as having some kind of special access to Aslan, and so when several battles have gone badly and things are looking grim, she is sent out into the woods to see if she can see him again and get him to help them. This seems to be the exact opposite of the what Lewis is intending from the Aslan/Lucy relationship. In the book, Aslan gives her sight of himself as both gift and call. Lucy must respond to him. In the movie, Lucy's sighting of Aslan is a sign of her special status, and leads the others to assume that she can find and call Aslan when needed. And, in fact, that's exactly what happens. In the movie, Aslan responds to her. This, in my opinion, is a serious misreading of the story. Aslan's presence is always seen as gift and calling in the books (see, for example, in The Silver Chair, when Jill says she and Eustace asked to come to Narnia, but Aslan corrects her by saying they only asked because he had already called them). The characters in the Narnia stories circle around Aslan; he does not circle around them. They either see his gift and respond to his call, or they don't. But he does not come and go at their beck and call. The movie essentially treats Aslan as a powerful weapon which Lucy can (usually) wield. Just as Susan is a regular Legolas with her bow and arrow, and Peter and Edmund are real aces with their swords, so Lucy always comes through in a pinch with her lion. I don't think Mr. Lewis would approve. I certainly do not.

Insan-o Stuff on the Way to Dalkeith

2008-05-16T12:24:00.000-07:00

Claustrophobic as we are living in the cramped city of Edinburgh, we decided to do an overnight stay at Westen Cowden Farmhouse, a bed and breakfast in the neighboring town of Dalkeith. We're used to things going amiss, but a surprising number of odd events tranpired.

On the bus ride down, a dude fell asleep - I mean ASLEEP - and was flung out of his seat on a sharp turn. Fortunately, his face broke the fall. The bus driver stopped and I tried to help him up. He woke up, but I'm not sure he quite recovered. Was it alcohol? Heroin? Term papers?

A few minutes later a woman asked if we were from Minnesota. Yikes. I know were ostensibly American, but apparently, having only spent seven years in South Dakota, we're radiating the midwest.

Ah, then there was that little dog with a tree branch - five feet across, maybe 20 pounds - in its mouth while jumping over a three foot high fence, and its owner, swearing like a sailor, and the owner's friend reprimanding him for not being able to construct a sentence without the f-bomb.

So much for the sleepy little Scottish village idea. Get us back to Edinburgh.

Wrestling God

2008-05-11T00:52:00.000-07:00

I (Nathan) have always been drawn to the story of Jacob wrestling the Angel of the Lord (Gen 32). He wrestles God. Who in his right mind wrestles GOD? But this is what Jacob does, there at the Jabbok River, there in the most anxious moment of his life, his estranged brother Esau probably about to kill him the next day and steal all his property. Jacob doesn't wrestle with his thoughts or his worries - he wrestles the Almighty.

There is something potentially sacrilegious in all of this. It would be easy for us to hear this passage and assume that the spiritual life is one of manipulation, cold and conniving interaction with God that effectively twists His heavenly arm until He forks over the goods. Just as easily we could imagine this passage baptizes the practice of religious litigation. As if pouting at God and hating Him made sense, as if any one of us could bring a law suit against God, take the money and run. More than once I've heard people say, "It's okay to be angry at God." There's something almost right about that sentiment, except it seems to leave the door open for the kind of seething and scorching demeanor totally unbefitting to the Christian life. Still, could it be that God invites us into the life of passionate engagement with Him?

With day breaking, the Angel disclocates Jacob's hip and tells him to let go. But Jacob won't: "Not until you bless me." Jacob has good reason to think God is in the business of blessing. Had God not given him many children, much cattle, and (by any standard of the Levant) the good life? Certainly God isn't going to change His mind at this point! It seems incredible that we, who have the promises of God in full - the new heavens and the new earth - don't do the same. This One has pledged His faithfulness to us in Jesus Christ, meaning however we grapple with Him, whether singing or shouting or calmly reasoning or swearing or crying, we mean to engage Him on His own invitation. "God, You said..." should be a stock phrase of ours, just like the psalmists': Remember me, O Lord, when you show favor to your people (Psa 106:4)! Will You forget me forever (Psa 13:1)? Confirm your promise to your servant (Psa 119:38)! These cries are not the cries of whiners and prosecutors. These are the prayers of those who wrestle God.

Engage Him. Only the cold shoulder, only the practical atheism we all sometimes practice, is truly repugnant. Marriages and friendships can survive seasons of intensity and contention; they cannot survive apathy. For all its uniqueness, our relationship with God has the same component. Is this not the real reason we are told to "pray without ceasing" (1 Ths 5:17)? Not because we are good or eloquent or even goodspirited pray-ers, but because the God of Jesus Christ has hemmed us in on every side. He - He! - has hemmed us in, not guilt or credit card debt or ADHD or family strife or terminal cancer. Israel-like, we wrestle with the Living God, because only He is before us and only He has the blessing.

Water Baby

2008-05-10T06:43:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we went to our local indoor swimming pool. It's actually a little more than a swimming pool. It has a waterslide and wave pool too. This was Z's first swim. He loves splashing in the bath, so we thought he might like the pool too. Did he ever! Once we got there we changed into our suits, and you'll have to take my word for it (since we didn't get any pictures) that Z looked super cute in his little green swimming suit. We found a little blow up toy for him to sit in and got in the water. For the first couple of minutes he didn't seem too sure what to make of the situation, but then he suddenly realized how much fun he could be having. The boat he was sitting in had a little seat which allowed him to be in the water from the chest down, so he started laying out flat (instead of sitting up straight with his feet down) and kicking his feet. He could really move in that thing! He's got a nice kick, very good form, and he scooted back and forth between me and Nathan with no problem. And he loved it. Even when he accidentally dropped his face in the water or splashed himself, it didn't phase him at all, he just took a deep breath and kept going.

After we'd been in the pool for about an hour, it became clear that Z was both very tired and very reluctant to give up the fun. He kept trying to lie forwards or backwards in his boat, or resting his head on the side, so he could still kick his feet and splash around, but get a little rest at the same time. He clearly needed a baby pool-recliner. So, we think Z will become quite the little swimmer!

New Blog

2008-05-04T12:59:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, my (Christina's)brother has a blog for his short stories now and it's worth checking out. I've got it on the side in the favorites column (Red Leg Ramblings), or you can go to this address: http://redlegramblings.blogspot.com/

Thoughts for Ascension Day

2008-04-28T13:37:00.000-07:00

[Granted, we started this blog to keep all of you, our friends and family, in the loop with our active little lives. But our day to day regimen is filled with thinking and talking about the things we find important, especially about the Christian faith. Here’s an important theme I (Nathan) have been chewing on lately.]

The Church celebrates Ascension Day this year on Thursday, May 1. Forty days after Easter Sunday, it marks the lifting up of the risen Jesus Christ into heaven. I’ve read that congregations used to consider it a major festival of the Christian year, but few people now (for various reasons) reckon it to be of much worth theologically or practically. Reading Douglas Farrow’s provocative book, Ascension and Ecclesia, has me rethinking the matter. May I share with you four earth-shaking implications of this event for Christians?

1) The ascension means the risen Christ has entered into His eternal ministry as our high priest. At the resurrection Jesus Christ was given eternal life, and with it all authority to judge. As the one who had taken humanity’s place, living and dying as our representative before God, He was at Easter bestowed with the special right to speak on behalf of humanity. Jesus’ ascension into heaven signaled His entrance into that very capacity. Even now, “He sits at the right hand of the Father,” meaning He has the highest authority. And He has God’s ear. The Father always listens to Him. If the Son says, “Forgive that woman who keeps nagging at her kids,” the Father does. If the Son says, “Sanctify that guy in Des Moines with the drinking problem,” the Father grants it. All us idiots need His intervening prayers. Indeed, “He is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Heb 7:25). He lives. And He lives to be on our side. How amazing that we don’t need to be terrified of God’s judgment anymore! Jesus – not just God’s Son, but one of our very own – has entered into heaven’s court to act as our eternal defender. We mistakenly think of salvation as being some kind of static idea which happened only at the cross. Not so. Jesus Christ saves us even now. Aren’t Jesus’ actions telling as He disappears into the clouds?: “While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven” (Luke 24:51). He has been blessing us ever since.

2) The ascension means Jesus Christ is absent. I know this sounds terrible and impious, even untrue. Did not Jesus say He would be with us to the very end of the age (Mt 28:20)? Did not the disciples go away with great joy after the ascension (Lk 24:52)? Yes, but the fact of the matter is that Jesus Christ was not there anymore. He could not be seen or heard or touched like He had in the forty days after Easter. “For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God,” Paul writes (Rom 8:19). We have much weight to groan under in a world of schoolyard bullying, inescapable poverty, credit fraud, chemical warfare, shattered marriages, prostitution and crime, ADD and Down’s, miscarriage and abortion – all the moral and biological evils we experience in the continuum of suffering and dying and death. The truth is, Jesus could have stopped it all. As the resurrected King, He could have raised us all too that very moment – but He didn’t. What surprised sadness the disciples must have experienced when, asking if He would now restore the kingdom of Israel, Jesus effectively tells them No (Acts 1:6-7). Instead, He ascends into that other place, heaven, the place far from us. We live and wait in that absence.

3) The ascension means Jesus Christ has filled that absence with the witnessing Church, empowered by the Holy Spirit, the word and sacraments. If the ascension leaves an absence, it is an absence pregant enough to include us: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8). Do you realize how incredible this is? That we should be His witnesses, His spokesmen, His heralds? That this is the reason He has delayed the final judgment, to permit others to repent and believe when they hear our testimony? This is the case. This Church, this pitiful group of disciples, will go out into the world with the good news that He is risen. If the Church does not speak, it is missing out on its very reason for being! Fortunately, Christ has not left us alone in this mission, for He has sent the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, to be with us (Jn 14:15-18, 16:7). We can therefore speak and live and minister with the authority of Christ. Now I must clarify something straight away: This does not mean that we are the new Jesus Christ or a continuation of His incarnation. Not by a long shot. We are not “Jesus with skin on” (as I heard someone say recently), for Jesus already has His own body thank you very much. And, to speak biblically, He primarily is the one testifying to Himself through the Spirit, calling people and awakening them to faith. But He still wants us, as His little brothers and sisters indwelt by the Spirit, in on the deal. He insists that His followers go out and testify to His resurrection, whispering and speaking and shouting out that He is Lord and Saviour of the world and that in Him is eternal life. Also as a priceless gift for this task is the Bible, the word of God in which we meet the Word of God. What’s more, we are nourished by the sacraments of baptism and the eucharist. With regard to the latter, Douglas Farrow makes the interesting point that the Lord’s supper ushers us into the eschatological presence of Christ, something made possible only after the ascension, for “[o]nly then did its eucharistic form become necessary, somehow anticipating a second and more profound ‘change in the darkness and matter’ that is yet to come” (Farrow, p. 10). The word and sacraments are indispensable tokens of Christ’s presence on the road between Christ’s resurrection and the general resurrection at His return, so that in this middle time, this “Church age,” we witness with confidence and joy in the Spirit.

4) The ascension means He is at work in heaven preparing our eternal abode. On one hand, we can reason on the ground of the ascension that if Christ is in heaven, we too are welcome there. The Heidelberg Catechism (Q49) declares that “we have our own flesh in heaven,” guaranteeing that Christ will welcome us other fleshy people there too. But the news gets better – or, I should say, more specific – than that. We’re not supposed to live in heaven, dead or alive. It’s not our home. It’s only the workshop. In a remarkable speech, Jesus tells His disciples, “In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (Jn 14:2-3). Jesus didn’t ascend to prepare heaven for our disembodied souls to find repose. He went to heaven to build a mansion, a whole new place, for us to live in once He returns at the end of time. Truly, the One who ascended will be the One who descends. Then, raising the dead and enacting the final judgment, He will give this new mansion, this new city, to His beloved people. He will raise them into everlasting bodies and give them an everlasting playground. Can any of us fathom what will it be like? “And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Rev 21:2). Heaven will come down to earth with Christ. So will the dead Christians (1 Ths 4:14). All who are given the gift of Christ’s resurrection body will live in that amazing, earthly place. A resplendent, bride-like people will live in their resplendent, bride-like home.

How can one not celebrate this festival? The ascended Christ is busy not only interceding for me in heaven and equipping me here on earth to live a Spirit-led life of witness - He is busy preparing my dream home for an endless day of joy. That, I think, is plenty reason to party it up on Ascension Day.

Top Ten Denmark Memories

2008-04-27T08:37:00.000-07:00

Last week the three of us headed over to the land of my uncle and aunt. It's worth sharing.

10) Playing with solar mirrors. My uncle John will someday either rule the world or save the world or destroy the world through his inventions – we don’t know which. In any case, we had fun discussing his various ideas, including improvements in solar heating with mirrors. He showed me how overlapping ten “suns” would burn a hole through my chest. Okay, maybe not, but things got hot quick.

9) Walking the canals of Copenhagen. The city, we found, was laid out very nicely with plenty of shops, restaurants and museums to keep anyone busy. A nice touch was the canal system crossing through part of Copenhagen, on which people take boat rides or (for sinister kicks) throw in cheap bikes.

8) Watching and discussing Adam’s Aebler. Take one part Tarantino, one part existential Christianity, one part Medieval morality play, submerge it in Danish lager, and you have the movie “Adam’s Apples.” We really liked its quirky inversion of the Garden of Eden and the book of Job in order to explore the relationship of faith and reason, ethics and knowledge.

7) Deciphering all the imagery in Roskilde Cathedral. The churches in Denmark have a long history, and have been state sponsored for centuries now, creating a bizarre, well moneyed amalgamation of religious and civic imagery. The cathedral in Roskilde felt most overwhelming with its towering ceilings, ornate (largely Roman Catholic influenced) art, housing dozens of burial sites of powerful kings and clergymen. Christina and I had a fun time figuring out the wood carvings of the Christian history of salvation, Genesis to Revelation.

6) The ceiling art in Tuse Church. Even more impressive to us was the humble country church in Tuse. Dating back to the late medieval period, this building still bears ancient apocalyptic artwork on its ceilings. I (Nathan) couldn’t stop blathering on about the place of the resurrection of the body and the Last Judgment for the historical Christian consciousness. Eventually a woman with a group of bored-to-death confirmands kicked us out.

5) Wandering the dungeons of Elsinore Castle. Remember? The castle from Hamlet. The upper chambers are impressive, no doubt, but the underground barracks/storage/prison area made the mind run wild.

3T) Throwing A.J. around. I hadn’t met either of my cousins, each of whom were born in the last decade. The younger, A.J., decided I was prime material for a jungle gym. We had a blast monkeying about, and managed to get in trouble at Elsinore for playing tag in the ballroom.

3T) Watching Alex entertain Z. Alex, the elder, had not only a wonderful goofy side, but also a real brotherly affection for Lazarus. He whipped up all sorts of song and dance, and could be found pushing Z around, giving him tours of little parts of Denmark.

2) The Viking Ship Museum. All of us enjoyed going to a museum enshrining five authentic Viking ships dredged up from a local fjord. I wish we Americans had manly, pillaging ancestors like that.

1) Eating one of the most praiseworthy slabs of beef on Earth. I’m not sure who sold a soul for this beef loin, but we were served by my aunt and uncle one of the finest meals possible. With a red wine and garlic sauce drenching the whole thing we were falling over ourselves for more helpings. In fact, we ate like kings and queens from breakfast to dinner every day. Museums? Churches? Kirkegaard birthplace? Bah. Bring out the cuisine and catch up on old times. That tops all.

Half a Decade

2008-04-16T11:59:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who remembered our anniversary! Yes, we've been married for five years, as of April 12. Half a decade seems like a long time, but it's flown by with much fun, excitement and happiness. We had a great anniversary date when some good friends from church babysat Z and we went to a Josh Ritter concert. It was a small venue with a very enthusiastic audience. Ritter obviously was enjoying himself and was very appreciative of the crowd. We had a terrific time. Below you'll find one of our favorite songs from his new album. The song's called "The Temptation of Adam." By the way, for you Lawrence folks, Ritter will be playing at the Granada on May 11. It's a great show!

A Night at Barony Castle, Borders

2008-04-14T23:49:00.000-07:00

South of Edinburgh, the land straddling Scotland and England, appropriately is called the Borders. We headed there last week to explore some of the area and stay a night at the Barony Castle (pictured above). Christina and I agreed that it was the first excursion we had had where we genuinely felt relaxed. The castle was impressive, but not so much as its setting, 25 acres of woodland surrounded by pastureland as far as the eye could see. It even had a waterfall and a ropes course! And Eddleston, the quaint town at the foot of the hill, looked like the perfect place to read books all day. If you're an Eddlestonian in Peeblesshire and need a house-sitter for a month or three this summer, and are reading this blog, PLEASE contact us.

The trip also proved revealing of Christina's inner girlygirl. Being early April, lambing season had commenced, and so dozens of baby sheep were busy playing in the meadows. Every thirty seconds - I kid you not - Dr Hitchcock squealed, "How cuuuuute!" "Oh! Look at the babies!" "Soooooo cuuuuuuute! Soooooooooooooooo cuuuuuuuute!" She couldn't stop herself from exclaiming - and I couldn't stop laughing.

(pic. 1a. These newborns had figured out the game King of the Hill)

KU Wins!!

2008-04-08T09:14:00.001-07:00

Smiling

2008-04-06T12:13:00.001-07:00

Craigmillar Castle

2008-03-29T15:08:00.000-07:00

On Thursday we took the day off to go see Craigmillar Castle. We had tried to see this particular castle about a month ago, but got on the wrong bus and therefore ended up on the wrong side of town. Fortunately, we found the Pentlands that day, which is a great place for hiking. But this time we decided to find Craigmillar.

The castle was built in the 15th century and was a favorite residence of Mary Queen of Scots. This castle is quite different than Edinburgh Castle in that it is quite cosy and homey, as far as castles go. It's clear it was meant to be lived in, not just defended.

When we got to the castle, we roamed around the grounds first, and ended up in the middle of bushes, thorns and trees, with no way out except over a wall or back the way we came. Some of you may not know this, but Nathan always refuses to "go back the way we came" and so we always have to find a different way. This time, it meant scaling the wall. First, he helped me over and down, then handed me Z, then handed over the stroller, and then climbed over himself. Sigh . . . the attractions of a hunky husband! We ended up on the side of a fairly busy road with no sidewalk, but managed to get back to the castle without further mishap.

Here's a few pics from the day.

And the Winner is . . .

2008-03-24T07:14:00.000-07:00

Our good friend Susannah! After several hints, Susannah correctly guessed the movie: Nell, starring Jodie Foster. Nell is a backwoods woman raised entirely alone except for her mother and twin sister. Her mother had a stroke and therefore speaks slurred English, and Nell and her sister developed some kind of twin-speak. As a result, Nell speaks a very odd version of English. One of her signature lines in the movie is "Tay in the win'!" (tree in the wind), which she says as she sways back and forth with her hands in the air.

For you Genevans out there, I (Christina) went to see this movie with a bunch of friends, including Brian Kelly. I just remember that for the rest of semester, whenever I'd see Brian across campus, he'd drop his books, wave his arms in the air, and wail at the top of his lungs, "Tay in the win'! Tay in the win'!" Very funny.

Nathan and I saw the movie a couple of years ago, and for the next several months Nathan would spontaneously wave his arms in the air and yell, "Tay in the win'!" It's still funny after all these years.

(By the way, the picture at the top is of Nell, not Susannah!)

A Getaway to Perth

2008-03-18T13:19:00.000-07:00

With limited resources but flexible time, we've tried to keep an eye out for specials online, trying to snag cheap accommodation. It hasn't worked so well, but last week we found a very reasonable hotel which offered a big room, a four-course dinner and scottish breakfast for a low, low rate. But in Perth. Perth? Like Australia? We hadn't heard of the town, but as it turned out, the town was beautiful and a wonderful place to do some r+r. Aside from a very adequate range of restaurants and shops, Perth boasted some impressive castles and hiking trails near the River Tay, the largest river in Scotland. Below are some of the highlights of the excursion.

Alright movie buffs: What movie is Christina parodying in the last picture? The prize involves immortal fame on our blog, and maybe something Scottish if we remember to bring it home in August.

Planet Narnia

2008-03-09T09:30:00.000-07:00

Last week I (Christina) went to a lecture at New College by Michael Ward who is the author of a new book called Planet Narnia. The lecture was absolutely fascinating. Apparently the Narnia Chronicles have long been criticized as being a hodgepodge of ideas which Lewis hastily slapped together with no apparent order or reason. Tolkien himself was highly critical of Lewis in this regard. On the other side of the debate, many people believe there is some order or unity to the seven books which hasn't been discovered yet, although many suggestions have been made, including that the seven books correspond to the seven deadly sins, or to the seven Catholic sacraments, or to the seven steps of Anglican commitment, or to seven of Shakespeare's plays, and so on and so forth. However, none of these theories have been convincing to anyone.

Ward's book proposes a new unifying theme for the chronicles. He suggests that the the seven books correspond to the seven planets of the pre-Copernican universe. Each of the planets was associated with a god, and of course each god has specific characteristics which Lewis used to outline the basic plot of each book, but in particular to flesh out Aslan's character in each book. So, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe corresponds to Jupiter; Prince Caspian to Mars, Voyage of the Dawn Treader to the Sun, The Silver Chair to the moon, The Horse and His Boy to Mercury, The Magician's Nephew to Venus, and The Last Battle to Saturn. I know it may sound strange, but Ward's argument is incredibly convincing. I'm hoping to get his book soon and get a more in-depth look at what he's proposing.

Anyway . . . I had an idea for a homeschooling project in conjunction with this, and since I know some of our readers are homeschoolers, I thought I'd share it and you can tell me what you think. The idea is to study the Narnia Chronicles from this point of view, and in doing so you'd cover multiple subjects and all in a fun way. First, you'd do a study of the pre-Copernican view of the universe and what medieval people believed about the heavens and why, and how science was done, etc. Then you'd do a study of each of the seven planets and the god or goddess associated with each one. This would, of course, include studying Greek and Roman mythology. Then you'd read the chronicles of Narnia and have your students act as literary critics, examining the books for evidence for or against Ward's theory. Then you could use all of this as a jumping off point to discuss natural theology -- what it is, Lewis' affinity for it, why it can be dangerous and/or beneficial, what church traditions have embraced natural theology and which have rejected it, and so on and so forth.

So, that's my idea. I'd love to hear what you homeschoolers out there think of it!

Warning: The Kite Runner Spoilers Ahead!

2008-03-02T11:41:00.000-08:00

I (Christina) read The Kite Runner last week. It was probably about time, since everyone had recommended it and it's been on the bestseller list for who knows how long. It really was a good book, although disturbing in a lot of ways. But I was struck by one thing in particular. The back of the book says that, essentially, this is a story about redemption. Very true. The main character, Amir, did something as a child that has always haunted him. He never confessed it to another living soul (although he suspected that at least two people knew what he had done) and so neither did he ever ask for forgiveness. But the interesting thing is that redemption doesn't seem to be seen in terms of forgiveness anyway. Redemption is seen in terms of paying your dues, doing what you should have done in the first place. Amir should have stepped in and stuck up for Hassan in the first place, and if that meant getting a beating or losing the blue kite, so be it. He should have done the right thing and therefore been able to live with himself and with Hassan afterward. However, his inability to do the right thing to start with led to even greater wrongs in the days that followed. And as a result, Amir lost Hassan's friendship and his own peace of mind.

So, the need for redemption becomes painfully obvious at this point. Yet how can it be achieved? The plot makes it clear that the best way to find redemption is to somehow do now what you should have done then. So when Amir goes back to Afghanistan, it is specifically to look for redemption. When he decides not to leave Afghanistan without Hassan's son, it is because he knows this is the only way to find redemption, and if he doesn't stay on that redemptive path he will be haunted forever. And when Assef is beating him into a bloody pulp, Amir finally finds his peace and so begins to leaugh. The scenario in the alleyway 26 years earlier has been perfectly re-created; the only difference is that Hassan's son now stands in for Hassan. And in that re-creation, Amir manages to do the right thing -- stick up for Hassan's son and take the beating that follows -- and in doing so finds redemption.

But is that really what redemption is? Certainly Amir has done the right thing in this situation. But that doesn't change anything about the first situation or what followed from it. The only thing that has changed is that Amir now feels peace. But Assef still hurt Hassan terribly, then Amir hurt both Hassan and Ali. None of that is changed. Can there be true redemption without true re-creation?

The interesting thing is that the one time forgiveness is explicitly offered in the book, it's rejected. Now, we have to keep in mind that the ones who rejected the offer of forgiveness were not actually guilty. However, forgiveness is also offered silently to Amir, the truly guilty party, by Hassan, the truly innocent party. But again, that forgiveness is rejected. Amir refuses to confess his sin, either to Hassan or anyone else, and he refuses the forgiveness that Hassan silently offers him. Instead, he hopes that Hassan will finally turn on him, beat him up, or accuse him before his father, and thereby "redeem" him by forcing him to pay for what he'd done, or failed to do. But Hassan never does that. So Amir only finds redemption 26 years later when Assef makes him pay. But, of course, the joke's on Assef because he unwittingly gives Amir exactly the thing he craves.

The Kite Runner proposes two possible routes to redemption. The first route is forgiveness, but this path seems, ultimately, to be somehow impossible. (Although it's just occurred to me that Soraya takes this route. That's worth thinking about.) The second route is simply paying the price for your own sins. This is the path Amir takes and by which he finally comes to peace with himself. The interesting thing is that forgiveness does not exclude the paying of a price. In this story, it is Hassan who is able to offer forgiveness because it is Hassan who pays the price for Amir's selfishness and cowardice. Because Hassan has suffered on behalf of Amir, he has the authority to forgive Amir's sins. But Amir is not willing or able to humble himself to that authority, and so cannot find redemption through forgiveness. The fact that he finds redemption only through his own suffering could suggest that he is actually willing to be beaten to a pulp and perhaps killed in order to maintain his own authority and thereby earn the right to forgive himself.

The question: has Amir actually become less selfish and less afraid, or has he simply learned to manifest those same traits in a way that allows him to feel at peace?

Rural Scotland

2008-02-29T11:25:00.000-08:00

After a hard work week I was looking forward to today, leap day, taking it off to do some more hiking. No such luck. The weather is gross. But I thought I might share a few photos from recent walks, all remarkably near Edinburgh.

Christina, Z and I went to see Lauriston Castle and the suburb of Cramond. It is adjacent to the same body of water we live along, the Firth of Forth. The castle is publicly owned and, while they weren't giving tours that day, the grounds were beautiful, and we had them all to ourselves. After the castle we walked out to Cramond Island, which is about a half a mile walk across a strip of land when the tide is out.

More recently we hopped on a bus going to another castle. Except it wasn't the right bus, and we ended up nowhere near the castle. We did, however, end up at a splendidly pastoral stretch of land on the edge of the Pentlands, just south of Edinburgh. We pushed the stroller a mile and a half up a muddy trail, but the views were worth it. It was the first time we had genuinely been out of the urban environment in months, so it felt good.

And just last weekend I went out for a "stroll" with friends from church. Six hours later my feet were hamburger, but we did see some tremendous tracks of land. Scotland has a roaming law that allows hikers to cross other people's property, permitting us to see some fairly remote areas of the Borders, a surprisingly uninhabited stretch along the England-Scotland dividing line. I especially enjoyed the number of grouse spotted along the way (how I miss my shotgun!), as well as some old-school stone sheep pens.

With a new baby backpack, we're ready to take on more trails. We're here in Scotland, right? We'd be fools to hole ourselves up in the city.

Wings of Hay and Corn Husks

2008-02-14T08:17:00.000-08:00

As I was strolling around you.tube this afternoon I came across this video, which is of a song called "Lawrence, KS" by one of my favorite singer/songwriters, Josh Ritter.

This song has many layers for me, since I grew up in Lawrence, KS. How clearly I remember the house on Mississippi Street, the Pinkney School tunnel, the tennis courts up near KU stadium, walking around the block with my dog. When I visit Lawrence now I find it much changed, or at least so it appears to my adult eyes. And much of it seems for the worse. It seems more broken, more despairing, more centered on things that are fading away. But even so, it must not be left behind. Walking the streets of my childhood, I hope for resurrection at every corner.

February Dreaming

2008-02-02T09:08:00.000-08:00

I'm afraid that February is not my favorite month of the year. Cold, dark, snowy, rainy . . . you know how it is. So usually in February I tend to daydream a little. Daydream of choice this February: St. John. I couldn't resist posting a view pictures. Sigh . . . we look so warm.

All About Z

2008-02-02T08:15:00.001-08:00

He gets mesmerized by the red-eye light and refuses to smile.

Hanging out.

Getting ready for a walk.

Playing computer games with Daddy.

Z has started eating solid food. As you can see, carrots, at least mushed up carrots, are not his favorite.

He likes yogurt quite a bit more.

Out to see the sea.

Z rolled over for the first time about a month ago!

Prince of Egypt

"An Army of Women . . ."

2008-01-20T07:02:00.000-08:00

Last Friday we were at a friend's house for a church get-together. Our pastor is resigning, so it was kind of a farewell gathering for him and his wife, who everyone will miss very much, including Nathan and me, who only met them two months ago. Our church, part of the Scottish Episcopal church, is not very large, but has provided wonderful encouragement for us in the last weeks. It is a beautiful and biblical combination of the true preaching of the Word and the true celebration of the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. I have never, in all my life, felt so genuinely refreshed by church, and I'm convinced it is that combination of Word and sacrament that is so powerful.

Anyway, at this little gathering on Friday night I was chatting with our pastor and another member of the congregation. Our pastor has a kind of booming, jovial voice and this other gentleman is the epitomy of the very English professor with a wonderfully dry sense of humor. We were discussing World War II in England, since both of their parents had lived and worked through the war. Our pastor mentioned that his mother spent the war X-raying bombs to make sure that they had no defects. I mentioned that women in the States also worked during the war, but when the men came home, they were expected to quietly return to their lives as mothers and homemakers, which many of them did not exactly wish to do.

Our pastor boomed out, "Yes, that's the mistake you women made! Why anyone would want to get trapped into the workforce, I don't know! Here women could stay at home in peace and quiet and raise their children, and yet they insisted on going out into the workforce!"

I sensibly proposed that perhaps not all women wanted to stay at home and have babies. Our pastor paused, clearly searching for the proper responce, when the other gentlemen neatly stepped in to save the moment, saying very benevolently, "There's that famous old quote from Chesterton: 'An army of a thousand women will not be dictated to. So they all went out and got jobs as secretaries.'"

Moment of silence, and then great guffaws from the men! What could I do but join in? It was SO funny!

Mustard and Conditioner, Hold the Tomato...

2008-01-15T14:48:00.000-08:00

As it is a royal pain to lug heavy items from our supermarket (1 mile away) to our flat, we have taken to ordering groceries from Tesco.com. They deliver for a nominal charge, so once in a while we splurge and order a variety of goods online.

Anyhew, a couple of days ago we got a shipment. They brought everything but one item. They didn't have Christina's Garnier Fructis Active Fruit Complex Conditioner. When Tesco doesn't have a certain item, they send a suitable alternative. Except this time the alternative was Lay's Chip Sensations - Chili and Coriander flavor. As delicious as they looked, we rejected their proposed substitute.

This is a problem, people. When haircare products begin sounding so edible that they're interchanged with fried potato goodness, we may properly predict the end of our society.

Christmas Memories

2008-01-02T14:19:00.001-08:00

Nathan's mother, Lisa, came out from California to spend Christmas here in Scotland. We had all sorts of fun exploring Edinburgh, going shopping, snapping pics and doing fine dining. Z came away from his first Christmas with all sorts of new (often funny) clothing and a new best buddy, a stuffed cow named Mobley.

Lazarus in a Giggle Fit

2007-12-24T02:59:00.000-08:00

Cock your head to the side and enjoy...

So Little Time

2007-12-19T09:48:00.000-08:00

I'm always looking for a good book to read, so I thought I'd share some of the books I've been reading this semester, in case anyone else is also looking.

Children
Magyk and Flyte by Angie Sage: So-so. Rip-offs of Harry Potter, but still amusing and distracting.
Noah's Ark by Peter Spier: Excellent. Always a good read (or look).
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Very good. This was my second time through, and I enjoyed it much more this time. I think the fact that I was hyped up on post-partum hormones the first time I read it made me overly harsh towards poor J.K. Now I'm cooking up a paper that uses the character of Severus Snape to explore Bonhoeffer's ideas on guilt, responsibility, and true heroism.

General Fiction
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards: Very interesting story dealing with memory, loss, and hidden betrayal. Also chronicles what it is like to watch your child grow up, which took on a new meaning for me with Z here now.
The Cape Ann by Faith Sullivan: Engaging writer but not much of a story. Doesn't really seem to go anywhere or develop characters much.
Ysabelle by Guy Gavriel Kay: Kay is always good, and this book is no exception, although I wouldn't call it his best.
Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay: This is what I'd call his best! I've read this book before, but I'd forgotten how good it is. It has all the right elements of a great tragedy as Kay explores the difficulties of love and loyalty in a world that is broken. If you want to start reading Kay, I'd say start here. The Fionavar Trilogy is also great.
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger: Bizarre plot but surprisingly good!

Tudor England
The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory: Chronicles Katherine of Aragon's story, from her first marriage to Prince Arthur to her second to King Henry VIII
The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory: Chronicles the story of Mary Boleyn, one-time mistress of Henry VIII and sister to Anne Boleyn, Henry's second wife and mother of Queen Elizabeth I
The Virgin's Lover by Philippa Gregory: Chronicles the story of the first two years of Elizabeth I's rule
The Queen's Fool by Philippa Gregory: Follows fictional character named Hannah Green, "holy fool" to Queen Mary
The Rise and Fall of Anne Boleyn by Anne Warnecke: Non-fictional study of, yes, the rise and fall of Anne Boleyn. Makes the interesting hypothesis that the catalyst for her execution was the miscarriage of a deformed baby boy, giving rise to charges of witchcraft and sexual misconduct. Helpful companion reading for all the above fiction.

Theology and Philosophy
The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco: I suppose this could be filed under general fiction, but it has whole sections dealing explicitly with philosophical issues and questions. Nathan tells me this is the first truly postmodern novel. A medieval mystery, it explores the nature of reality, of truth, and of religion.
The World's Religions by Huston Smith: If you're interested in a brief overview of the main world religions, this is a good place to start. Smith emphasizes ideas and themes over facts and figures and tries to allow each religion to put its best foot forward.
A History of the World's Religions by David Noss: Not nearly as interesting as Smith's book, but very informative. Heavy on the facts and figures.
Witness: Systematic Theology Vol. 3 by James McClendon, Jr.: Still working on this one, but so far, very intertesting. His interest is in a theology of culture, so he explores themes related to religion, science, art, and philosophy, among others. If you decide to read it, I must tell you to pay special attention to his section on John Steuart Curry who grew up in Kansas in a "Scottish Presbyterian" family. For those of you who don't know, this is a reference to the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America, which is also my heritage (as is the Kansas childhood).

Well, I guess that's a good enough review for now. If you've read an interesting book lately, please let me know! I'm always on the prowl!

Eating, eating, eating . . . at the pocketbook

2007-12-15T04:29:00.000-08:00

For those of you griping at the cost of fuel these days, let us sober you with the kinds of prices you'd also be paying for food if you lived in the UK. We've made a list of the more eggregious examples by way of price comparison with the US, translated into USD.

2 pieces corn on the cob (US) = $.89

2 pieces corn on the cob (UK) = $3.10

12 large eggs (US) = $.95

12 large eggs (UK) = $4.18

Chicken breasts, per pound (US) = $3.49

Chicken breasts, per pound (UK) = $5.20

Deluxe chips, 10 oz. (US) = $2.99

Deluxe chips, 5oz x 2 (UK) = $6.40

Grated parmesan, 6 oz (US) = $2.99

Grated parmesan, 2 oz x 3 (UK) = $9.35

Ben and Jerry's pint (US) = $4.00

Ben and Jerry's pint (UK) = $8.99

Hershey's chocolate chips, 9 oz. (US) = $2.29

Premium chocolate chips, 3 oz. x 3 (UK) = $18.00

Kid you not. Of course, we also get access to cheap haggis and blood pudding, so that makes up for it, right?

Fashion Matters

2007-12-12T08:58:00.000-08:00

The Wee Tot at Five Months

2007-12-09T02:06:00.000-08:00

Help!

2007-12-07T02:01:00.000-08:00

Ok, I need help from all the experienced mothers out there who are reading this. Z, who has always been a very good sleeper, has decided to rebel against that pattern. A few weeks ago he started sleeping for shorter lengths of time at night, but not enough to throw things off badly. But this past week, it's been getting out of control. He's barely sleeping 4 hours at stretch now, and only a few weeks ago he was sleeping 7-9 hours at a stretch. His sleeping pattern a month ago looked like this:

6:30-7:00 - eat
7:30 - go to bed
Somewhere betwteen 2:30-4:30 - wake up, eat, back to sleep
7:30 or 8:00 - wake up

Now his sleeping pattern looks like this:

6:30-7:00 - eat
7:30 - go to bed
11:30 - wake up, eat, back to sleep
3:00 or 3:30 - wake up, eat, back to sleep
6:30 or 7:00 - wake up

I feel like we've regressed about 3 months! Any suggestions, tips or advice is very welcome! In case the information is helpful, he'll be 5 months next week.

In the Ditch

2007-12-01T03:12:00.000-08:00

We have discovered a network of paths that run all over Edinburgh. They are set just below street level and are very woodsy and mostly quiet, and they lead to lots of important places in Edinburgh (like the City Centre, the Royal Botanical Gardens, and the grocery store!). So they make getting to these places much more pleasant than walking alongside very busy and noisy streets.

Last Friday we decided to go to the store and do some grocery shopping. It was a rainy day, so we all had our rain gear on, including Z in his stroller. It was also a little chilly, but we got to the store just fine and got our shopping done.

On the walk home, the rain had let up, which was nice, but it was still pretty cold. We were strolling along discussing 19th century Protestant theology when I happened to glance by the side of the path and saw what looked like a human hand lying in the water, just a few feet ahead of us. My first thought was, "Oh no! We're about to find a dead body!" quickly followed by, "Oh my goodness, don't be so silly! It's probably just an old paper bag." However, as we got closer, I saw another hand, and then legs, and I said, out loud this time, "Oh no!" Nathan, immersed in his thoughts on Schleiermacher, looked at me curiously and said, "What is it?" I pointed up ahead and whispered, "I think there's a person in the ditch."

We crept forward and peered into the ditch. And there he was, lying in about six inches of water -- a man lying in the ditch, unconscious but breathing. He was dressed in jeans and a jacket, and his breathing was very labored, almost like snoring. Nathan and I looked from the man to each other, and then back at the man again. What in the world had happened, and what should we do? We both immediately thought that he must be drunk, but it was obvious he needed help. At first we thought we should go find a phone and call for help, but that seemed likely to take too long. Then Nathan suggested that he stay and try to help him while I went and looked for a phone. I didn't like that idea much. Fortunately, just at that moment we saw a group of people coming down the path towards us -- a woman with a bunch of little kids. We decided to ask the woman if she had a cell phone.

We left the man lying in the ditch and went to meet this small group of people. When we got there, we quickly and quietly summarized the situation, and asked the woman if she had a cell phone. Not only did she have a phone, but she was also a nurse, so while she and Nathan went to see if the man was all right, and to call for an ambulance, I stayed with the kids where we were, so that they would not get too close to the scene.

As soon as Nathan and the woman went off to the man, the kids burst into questions. "Is he dead?!? Is the man dead?!?" eight little voices all shrieked at once. I very calmly assured them that he was not dead, but had just fallen down. One little boy seemed particularly anxious and excited about the whole thing. He was wearing a very sleek, calf length coat which was neatly belted at the waist. His hands were tucked into the fur-lined pockets and his face peeked anxiously out from the fur-trimmed hood, tied securely with strings ending in faux-fur pom-poms. He looked very cute, if slightly emasculated. (I discovered that he and one of the little girls had decided to trade coats for the day.) He peered up at me and said, "Are you sure he's not dead?" "I'm sure," I said, "I could see him breathing. He's definitely alive. I think he just tripped and fell." He clapped his hands to his head and yelled out, "Is there blood everywhere??" Stifling my desire to laugh, I said no, there was no blood at all. That seemed to relieve him somewhat, and he went back to his little friends, who were all straining to see what was happening to the man.

Meanwhile, Nathan and the woman had called the ambulance. After that was taken care of, the woman realized that she recognized the man from her school days. She called his name loudly several times, and finally he opened his eyes, but was very confused and befuddled. After a few moments, he was able to sit up, and finally they were able to drag him out of the ditch and out of the cold water. He sat down on the path, leaning against Nathan, to wait for the ambulance. He did not appear to be drunk, and told Nathan and the woman that he had been walking down the path, and that was the last thing he could remember. He had been on his way to visit his fiancee.

All of this took 20 or 30 minutes, and the whole time I was trying to keep the kids occupied and away from the man and the scene of the accident. When the man sat up, all the kids shrieked at once, and one little girl screamed, "He's sitting up!!" Another boy took one look and yelled, "Where's his head? Where's his head?" and the little boy in the fur-lined coat threw his hands over his eyes and groaned, "I can't look. I just can't look."

Fortunately, very soon after that, the ambulance arrived. The man was taken away, and seemed to be well on his way to recovery. However, I'm not sure we can say the same for the little boy in the girl's coat.

Who Do Say That I Am?

2007-11-30T00:31:00.000-08:00

Nathan says: For those of you who want to know what it is like at the high-octane divinity school that is New College, Edinburgh, here's an appropriate bit of humor I found in Sojourners:

And Jesus said unto them, 'And who do you say that I am?'

They replied,
'You are the totaliter aliter, the vestigious trinitatum who speaks to us in the modality of Christo-monism.’
' You are the impossible possibility who brings to us, your children of light and children of darkness, the overwhelming roughness’ in the midst of our fraught condition of estrangement and brokenness in the contiguity and existential anxieties of our ontological relationships.
'You are he who heals our ambiguities and overcomes the split of angst and existential estrangement; you are he who speaks of the theonomous viewpoint of the analogia entis, the analogy of our being and the ground of all possibilities.
'You are my Oppressed One, my soul's shalom, the One who was, who is, and who shall be, who has never left us alone in the struggle, the event of liberation in the lives of the oppressed struggling for freedom, and whose blackness is both literal and symbolic.’

And Jesus replied, 'Huh?'

Advent

2007-11-23T13:15:00.000-08:00

Advent is one of our favorite times of the year. We love the idea of practicing hope as a spiritual discipline, and have developed our own Advent tradition over the last four years of our marriage. As part of my sabbatical, I have tried to put that tradition into writing so that we can share it with others. Below, I'm posting the intro, and if anyone has any interest in seeing the whole thing, just leave a comment or e-mail me, and I'd be happy to send it all to you.

Advent:
A Season of Hope

Scriptural readings for the season of Advent

Written and compiled by
Christina Hitchcock

An Introductory Story
In 163 BC Israel suffered under the oppressive rule of Antiochus IV. This Syrian king, also known as Antiochus Epiphanes, had invaded the Temple, going where no Gentile should go, stealing the gold and precious jewels for his own treasury, and desecrating the sacred alter by sacrificing a pig there. He intended to wipe the Jews out, and set out to do so with decrees that made anyone faithful to commands of Yahweh subject to capital punishment. While many Jews capitulated to Antiochus, a small remnant refused to do so. This remnant, led by Judas Maccabee, finally recaptured Jerusalem and the Temple. This event is still celebrated in the Jewish festival of Hanukkah.

But reclaiming the Temple was not enough; it also needed to be cleansed. Yet how could such radical desecration of God’s house be reversed? Judas knew that the altar was defiled, yet he also knew that it was still God’s altar, not to be put aside lightly. So “they deliberated what to do about the altar of burnt offering, which had been profaned. And they thought it best to tear it down, lest it bring reproach upon them, for the Gentiles had defiled it. So they tore down the altar, and stored the stones in a convenient place on the temple hill until there should come a prophet to tell what to do with them” (I Maccabees 4:44-46).

Advent
Advent means “coming” or “arrival”. In the church calendar, Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas, and marks a time of anticipation, expectation and hope. It is a time for the Church to remember God’s work in the past, but at the same time to realize that God’s work is not done, but rather that we, like the children of Israel in the Old Testament, still look forward to the completion of God’s work. Advent denies us the illusion that God’s work is finished, either in the world or in ourselves. We still experience a world defiled by sin and guilt and sadness, yet it is a world that cannot be tossed aside, because it belongs to God. Therefore, like Judas Maccabee, we look forward to the day when a prophet will come to tell us what to do.

But, unlike Judas, we Christians also look back with the knowledge that God’s prophet, priest and king has already come in Jesus Christ, and he is already telling us what to do. Therefore, for Christians, Advent is a season of looking back in remembrance and looking forward in hope. The prophet has come, and the prophet is coming. This is what we remember and this is what we hope for.

Have you noticed how tempting it is to celebrate Christmas during Advent? It seems that the marketing of Christmas begins earlier each year. Christians are not immune to this, and in the process, Advent, a season of hope and expectation, is replaced by Christmas, a season of fulfillment. It is good and right for the Church to celebrate Christmas, but not before she looks backwards and forwards in repentance and anticipation. It is my hope that this small book of Advent meditations can help us anticipate the coming of God’s Prophet in these four weeks. And, as you well know, anticipation makes the Christmas celebration all the more sweet.

This book is inspired by the story in I Maccabees cited above. It recognizes that we live in a world that, like the desecrated altar, belongs to God yet has been defiled by sin. Because it belongs to God, we cannot toss it aside. Yet because it is defiled by sin, we cannot pretend that all is as it should be. And we must recognize with Judas that we cannot make things right. We must wait for God’s prophet, who will make all things new. Advent teaches us to live in a broken world with repentance but without despair. It teaches us our own limitations and yet points us to the God for whom nothing is impossible. Advent is a time to practice the discipline of hope. These meditations and Scriptural remembrances will attempt to bring out those ideas simply by telling stories of God’s work. Each story is symbolized by a stone, gathered up by the person who tells the story. The stones will be stacked together, one added each day, as each day a new story is told. Together, the stones will be an altar like those in the Old Testament which are there to remind us of God’s work and faithfulness.

The stories told here begin at the beginning, with God’s promise to Adam and Eve to send an avenger. They progress through the Old Testament, recounting various moments of redemptive history where God acted on behalf of his people. Each story is chosen because it reminds us that God will keep his promises, and because it articulates God’s promises for our future. These will include but certainly not be limited to, the stories of Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac, the Exodus, the birth of David, and the Messianic prophecies. Towards the middle of Advent, the story of the desecrated altar will be told, and then the stories will move into the New Testament era, recounting the promises given to Zechariah, to Mary, to Joseph, and to Elizabeth. On Christmas Eve, the story of the birth of Christ is recounted, preparing us to celebrate the fulfillment of God’s promises on Christmas day.

However, it is important to remember that God’s work is not finished. While God has sent his Messiah, who died on the cross and rose from the dead for our salvation, our salvation is not yet finished. We still look forward to the day when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. We still look forward to the day when death, which is the last enemy, will die. We still look forward to the day when Christ returns and makes all things new. In other words, the New Testament era, like the Old, is still a time of great anticipation, expectation, and hope. So even while we celebrate the first coming of Christ, we must close the Advent season, and begin the Christmas season, with the hope of the second coming, or advent, of Christ. Therefore, our Advent meditations will not end on Christmas Eve, but rather will conclude on Christmas day with the reading of Revelation 21-22. Our celebration of Christmas must be marked by our hope of the second advent.

How to Use This Book
This book of devotional readings can be used by yourself or with others. Each story is accompanied by a stone which acts as a reminder of God’s work. Each day of Advent, one story should be read or told. In writing the book, I have paraphrased some of the stories, and others (particularly the prophecies) have been taken straight from Scripture. As the stories are told each day, you should feel free to read them from the book or to paraphrase them yourself. The person who is reading the story for the day is also responsible for finding a stone to go with that story. Designate a place where the stones will be piled. This should be a place that everyone can see each day. As each story is told, a new stone is added to the pile, acting as a reminder of God’s work in the past and a sign of hope for God’s work in the future. As you read each story, allow yourself to feel a sense of longing and expectation for God’s future. Do not think of all these stories as simply referring to what has already been done, but let us look forward with great anticipation to the things that God has still to do in the future. Use this Advent season to practice hope.

Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas. Therefore, there are 28 stories in this book. However, depending on where Christmas falls each year, there are a varying number of days in Advent. Because of this, in some years there will be too many readings in the book for the season. For example, in 2007 Advent begins on December 2, which means there are 24 days in the Advent season. In order to get all the stories read during Advent, I suggest that on each Sunday in Advent, two stories be read (rather than just one). That way, all 28 stories can be read during the Advent season. Each year will have to be worked out a little differently, depending on the dates. The one thing that should remain constant for each year is that the telling of the stories should be timed in such a way that the story of the birth of Jesus (Luke 2) should always be read on Christmas Eve, and the promise of the New Heavens and New Earth (Revelation 21-22) should always be read on Christmas day.

Oban

2007-11-15T04:10:00.001-08:00

A couple of weeks ago we took a short trip to Oban, which is on the west coast of Scotland. They have a distillery there that Nathan wanted to see, and besides, it's just beautiful. So we took the train from Edinburgh to Oban and had a great time. Nathan got to see the distillery (although I didn't -- no babies allowed on the tour). We also got to visit the Isle of Iona, which has a very famous abbey on it. Iona was the headquarters for St. Columba as he evangelized the area in the 7th century. To get to Iona we took a ferry to the Isle of Mull, then a bus across Mull to another ferry, which took us to Iona. Below are some pictures. Enjoy!

A pretty day on a pretty street in Oban.

The ferry and train station at Oban.

Walking around Oban. (Sorry for the tilt!)

Z in one of his less photogenic moments.

We took the ferry from Oban to the Isle of Mull. Here we passed a lighthouse.

We took a bus across Mull, to the ferry which would take us to Iona. It's hard to see how beautiful the scenery was!

A highland cow. (It's a little blurry because we're in the bus.) The cattle and sheep were all over the place, including the road, sometimes!

The Iona Abbey.

Outside the abbey.

Small chapel at the abbey, which can still be used for prayer by the public.

Inside the abbey.

The old nunnery wall.

Leftovers from the nunnery.

Nathan standing in front of what's left of the nunnery. ("Get thee to a nunnery!")

The beach at Iona.

McCaig's Tower overlooks Oban and is its best-known landmark. It was sponsored and paid for by a wealthy Obanite in the 1800's, basically as a way of keeping the town employed during a economic depression. Now it's on all the postcards!

You can see the whole town from up there.

It was really windy up there!

Z in his weather-proof stroller.

Just as we were leaving, we saw an incredible, full rainbow. It was so big, the whole thing wouldn't even fit in the frame!

Water of Leith

2007-10-31T09:05:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we set out to discover the Water of Leith Walk. This is a path that follows a river named the Water of Leith all the way from the mouth of the river to a little village callled Balerno. All in all, the Walk is about 11 miles, I believe, so we didn't walk the whole thing, but did enjoy part of it.
Here's the entrance to the walk from our road.

These next pictures are mostly for Micah . . .

A day in the life of Z

2007-10-22T08:19:00.000-07:00

Take a walk with Dad.

Hang out in the swing.

Have a few laughs.

Take a bath.

Read the evening paper.

Go to sleep.

Corstorphine Hill

2007-10-20T08:05:00.000-07:00

Aside from the little luxuries near our flat - walks along the Firth of Forth, a system of nearby trails, verdant parks - we can easily catch buses to various natural habitats in or near the city. The Royal Botanic Gardens are within walking distance, but today we took the Lothian Bus 21 to Corstorphine Hill, a fairly steep hill in the middle of the city, one that has been set aside for hiking and biking.

There's well over 100 plant species in this little space, and it's quite remarkable to see how changing just a few metres elevation can change the foliage one sees. One moment cedar, the next moment purple-budding plants, the next all ferns. Much of it looks like something out of a Tolkien tale. We had a jolly ol' time, then stopped at Morrison's (one of the few "superstore" grocery stores in town) to get our hands on raspberry-filled donuts and veggies and (O! Beauty itself!) Ben and Jerry's half-priced (it's normally $8-9 a pint). We're a happy family.

Entertain Me

2007-10-19T01:49:00.000-07:00

Last week we got the internet in our apartment -- yay! We've been contemplating what we've learned during three weeks without outside entertainment (no TV, movies, or internet). I know it's the cool thing to say that we learned to reconnect through deep conversation, we learned how beautiful it is to take a walk through the park in fall, or we learned to appreciate a good book again, but here's what I really learned -- I like TV and movies and internet. Yep, I'm afraid so. The thing is, we already knew we liked good conversation, and without a car, walking is as much a way of transportation as it is a leisure activity, and I've been a bookworm since I was five. So yes, we miss our TV and movies, but we are very glad to have the internet back so we can communicate with all our friends and family again.

Oh, and I learned one other thing. I learned that the male of the species has an apparently infinite capacity to take his game up a notch when it becomes clear that a girl might beat him at said game. This, I believe, is particularly true if the girl in question is his wife. Allow me to give an example. During our three weeks without our normal forms of entertainment, we took to playing various games on the computer. One that became a favorite was pin ball. I had never really played pin ball before, so Nathan was beating me quite handily every night. However, one night I got lucky and got a score of over 4 million. Yeah, wow. Nathan had already informed me that he had never broken the 3 million barrier, so, as you might imagine, I was a little trepidatious about how he would respond to my incredible game. He was, of course, very happy for me.

However, the next morning he suggested, with a gleam in his eye, that we have a casual game of pin ball. I, as the winner and still champion, graciously accepted. He then proceeded to play a game of pin ball which lasted approximately 48 minutes as he collected over 5 million points. My stint as champion had lasted exactly 13 hours. I'm claiming partial rights to the 5 million points since without my 4 million to spur him on, I think he'd still be stuck in the 2 million range.

Homesick

2007-10-15T12:26:00.000-07:00

We miss our stupid dog. We're really an incomplete family without her. Our sink gets clogged now, because we've forgotten how to clean our own plates before washing them. We miss how she growls and hisses like a demoniac when we tickle her belly. Sigh.

We know it's uncool to get homesick while in a town like Edinburgh. Truly, this city here should trump anything in Sioux Falls. But as it is we're all sentimental about things back home in the Dakotas:

- real ice cream, not this crappy flavored cool-whip stuff.
- thunderstorms
- second-hand baby good stores
- date nights out, especially at Spezia and Cafe 334.
- our king size bed
- USF and Sioux Falls Seminary and all the people there
- family-size food packaging (this 3oz of sour cream for $2.00 ain't cuttin' it)
- a backyard
- customer service
- having a car, a bike, any kind of personal transportation
- a guitar
- all our church peoples
- walking around the central neighborhood, talking about houses for sale, watching leaves fall, then sitting on our porch swing and watching the world go by
- all our books

Geez. What losers. But that's how the idea of home works - you can't quite get it out of your head, even when everything else is going merrily on.

And, if you're reading this, chances are you're being missed too.

Z growing up fast

2007-10-13T02:01:00.000-07:00

Amazing to think that Z was born in mid-July, a sorta scrawny little lad. In this picture, in Sioux Falls a few days after returning from Sanford Hospital, he could be palmed like a little basketball (don't tell Christina). He fed well after the first week, making him almost double in size since then.

After a couple of months his cheeks filled in, providing good occasion for baby harassment ("Say Gooba!"). Most stupendous has been his lengthening. He easily fits six month clothing at three months of age.

We couldn't get any smiles out of him through mid-September. Just the less-happy emotions. In which case, we turned up the TV. A lot.

But the little weed kept a-sproutin'. And sleeping like mad, which was nice, especially on our multiple flights to the UK and back.

Then lo and behold! Personality! Z is currently smiling at us from morning to evening, a few grouchy hours excepted. He loves people from what we can tell, as well as his mobiles. He's very interactive.

We think he's hilarious, and the feeling seems to be reciprocated. Christina has him laughing daily with a tickling routine, and Dad has all sorts of tricks to evoke funny faces from the boy. With the colicky stage out of the way (fingers crossed), we're anticipating fun days ahead.

New College, University of Edinburgh

2007-10-10T06:02:00.001-07:00

While Edinburgh as a whole is quite remarkable, the square mile around my institution, New College Divinity School, takes the cake. A stone's throw from my graduate wing lies Edinburgh Castle, the Royal Mile (the most historic of Edinburgh's streets), three museums (yes, three), and the whisky tour headquarters. You have to see it to believe it, but suffice for now a few pictures.

New College, where I'm working on my PhD in divinity:

The Royal Mile, replete with shops and pubs and bagpipers:

And the castle. I say "the," as it is really the premier fortress in Scotland. Here's about one fifth of the beast:

We anticipate getting internet at home later this week. Pictures of Z to come.

Our New Neighborhood

2007-10-05T06:23:00.000-07:00

Behold, the Newhaven neighborhood of the Firth of Forth. A "firth" is something like a bay, and "Forth" probably comes from some famous dude. In any case, it's a tongue-twister, and we live beside it.

Finally Here!

2007-10-05T05:49:00.000-07:00

Here is the beginning of my first blog. I have generally been a little suspicious of blogs, seeing them as a product of a culture that will do anything to be known. However, now that we're in Scotland and I'm missing family and friends, I'm finding blogs to be a wonderful thing! I love reading about what all of you are doing, and seeing your pictures, so I have changed my mind completely. I don't know that my thoughts will be terribly interesting, but at least everyone will stay updated, and you'll get to see pictures of Scotland and Z on a somewhat regular basis.

The details of our arrival are many and harrowing. We arrived in London on August 31 only to discover that our visas were not complete. The rules for visas have changed drastically since I was at Aberdeen, and rather than letting us into the country on a tourist visa, the British authorities decided to refuse us entrance into the country. We spent nine hours in detainment (along with two gentlemen from Africa and a couple from some Islamic country -- she was in full burkha!). After being fingerprinted, carted around in a caged van, having our passports confiscated, and generally treated like criminals, we finally got onto a flight back to the USA. We spent the next two and a half weeks at my parents' in Kansas while we got the visas straightened out. And finally, on September 19, we arrived in Edinburgh, much to our joy and relief.

Nathan's getting settled at the University and is reading tons (especially Barth), and I'm trying to get used to the stay-at-home-mom gig. So far, it seems to be going pretty well. Aside from a few colicky days, Z is generally quite happy. He's learning to go to sleep by himself (yay!) and is becoming very interactive with me and Nathan -- smiling and talking away. The other day he got hold of Nathan's beard and thought that was hilarious enough to break out into his first true laugh.

I'm at the library because we're finding it takes a very long time to get the internet set up in your house. But we should have that done next week, and then hopefully we'll regularly post thoughts and pictures.

Christina