Busy week!

This was a big week for us. Erin, who alone among the kids has inherited my tendency toward crooked teeth, finally got braces! Her top 6 teeth are the initial concern and so instead of a mouthful, the Orthodontist just wired those few. While she's now getting past the soreness, the novelty is still fresh. Learning different eating habits will take a while. She's up to the challenge though. We bought soft foods for her initial painful few days, but she's back to solid foods now.

I got to have a special day on Wednesday with my new friend Cheryl. Our mutual friend, Sue, introduced us when I moved up here, just 45 minutes from Cheryl. She and I met for lunch once when we first lived here, then she came here for lunch before Thanksgiving. Yesterday was my turn to go to her home and what a treat that was! The drive was lovely, I can imagine it's just beautiful in the summertime. I drove through several quaint old villages with the "main street" look to them, and worth exploring when it's warmer. The soup was yummy and the fellowship sweet. What a relaxing day.

While there I got a very excited call from Kate. She had checked her email at school and was overjoyed to find a response to her application to L'Abri in Switzerland- she's been accepted for the fall term! As we have been exploring Kate's options for post-high school plans, the idea of sending her to college right away has come more and more into question. Rebekah has a more solid idea of what she wants to do in her adult life than does Kate, why send her off to college now when she's not sure of what she wants? Launching her out without a plan is equally unwise, so we prayed for wisdom and direction. Her friendship with Laura became the key which led us to L'Abri. Kate's artistic bend and desire to see and photograph Europe, coupled with her love of Theology and philosophy mesh well with what she could learn at L'Abri; just how does all that work in the real world? The following is from the L'Abri website, describing their history and vision:

L'Abri Fellowship began in Switzerland in 1955 when Francis and Edith Schaeffer decided in faith to open their home to be a place where people might find satisfying answers to their questions and practical demonstration of Christian care. It was called L'Abri, the French word for "shelter," because they sought to provide a shelter from the pressures of a relentlessly secular 20th century. As time went by, so many people came that others were called to join the Schaeffers in their work, and more branches were established.

There have been perhaps four main emphases in the teaching of L'Abri. ............................................................................................................................ First, that Christianity is objectively true and that the Bible is God's written word to mankind. This means that biblical Christianity can be rationally defended and honest questions are welcome. ............................................................................................................................ Second, because Christianity is true it speaks to all of life and not to some narrowly religious sphere and much of the material produced by L'Abri has been aimed at helping develop a Christian perspective on the arts, politics and the social sciences etc. ............................................................................................................................ Third, in the area of our relationship with God, true spirituality is seen in lives which by grace are free to be fully human rather than in trying to live on some higher spiritual plane or in some grey negative way. ............................................................................................................................ Fourth, the reality of the fall is taken seriously. Until Christ returns we and the world we live in will be affected by the disfigurement of sin. Although the place of the mind is emphasized, L'Abri is not a place for "intellectuals only". ............................................................................................................................ We are as concerned for living as we are for thinking and from the beginning the concern has been that the truth is as much exhibited in everyday life as it is defended in discussion. We do not do this perfectly of course but depend on the Lord to bring forth a measure of reality in our daily life.

Bringing forth a measure of reality in daily life- that's what Kate is looking for, and her parents too!

Today Kate is on a field trip in New York City with her art class. I've already gotten a couple of excited phone calls, sharing with me what she's doing and seeing. They've just left the Metropolitan Museum of Art and are on their way to Rockefeller Center for lunch. The temperature in NYC today was supposed to hover near zero degrees- but I've not heard any complaints about the cold! I can't wait to see the pictures and will be sure to post some here as well. I may even persuade Kate to be my "guest columnist" once again.


I've got to run now. Tonight we are hosting the couples' Bible study and it's time to do some picking up. I'll be making a main dish for the dinner we'll share and everyone else will bring the rest of the meal, salad to dessert. The ground outside is covered with snow and the sun is shining, what a beautiful day!