You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown

Growing. My littlest guy is hitting one of those seasons. Big sister Brietta looked at him and said how much older he seems. Ah, yes. It always happens.

The other night he was reading, with great enthusiasm, from the Golden Anniversary collection of Charles Schultz Charlie Brown. There are plenty of good vocabulary words packed in those black and white frames. And good opportunities for various expressions are tucked in there, too. He lends his interpretation of (pardon me) "You blockhead, Charlie Brown!" and "You flea-bitten good for nothing canine!!"

I liked this one:

Lucy is sitting at her desk. She raises her hand.
"Ma'am? How come we've only been studying about men in history? Aren't we going to study about women?"
Pause.
Lucy: "I had a grandmother who was kind of cute.

As Merrick got ready for bed last night he announced, "Mom, I sure wish I could go there."

"Where, bud?"

"To where they live. You know, where Charlie Brown lives. I wish I could meet them all. It seems like it would be such a fun place to visit."

I had to smile and admit - I'm kinda glad he's learning to love Charlie Brown.

Here I Am

I'm here. Just too busy with "thinks" to think... if you know what I mean.

Soon I have a real thought, I think.

Big Think, Little Think

Big: A new baby is coming to the Paladin family!

Little: Can I give enough?


Big: My life is for Him, lived for His purposes.

Little: What do I want from this day?


Big: I see my children living fully for Him, experiencing His love and joy.

Little: What will they be facing when I'm gone?


Big: God is holding all things in His hands: my life, my strength, my children, my friends, those in need of Good News of His love and Salvation.

Little: I cannot do all that needs to be done.


A God Think: "I am."

An Old Heart, But Tender

As I recited my memory verses this morning my eyes filled; tears slipped down my cheeks. The promise offered is rich and precious, no doubt, but a reservoir of pain that seems ever-present these days was being tapped, a well that has been filled with sorrow several times over. Tenderness of heart is still mine as I remember my grief and the grief of so many.

And tears come.

21 This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. 22 Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. 24 "The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I hope in Him!" 25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him. 26 It is good that one should hope and wait quietly For the salvation of the Lord. 27 It is good for a man to bear The yoke in his youth. Lamentations 3.21-27 NKJ

Maybe it's just me, or maybe it's a story common to all hearts that have been touched by multiple years of living here on this planet; grief -- tasted grief -- is always near at hand. I don't have to reach far to find remembrances of sorrow-filled situations. Prayer ushers forth at every recollection of unresolved circumstance. For those who have walked the valley and now must climb once again, I seek His grace for their strength to be renewed.

When every believer is family, there are innumerable opportunities for weeping and travailing. Loss, pain, and grief touch us all. And we weep together, bear the burden together. But then...

This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.
"The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I hope in Him."
The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him.
It is good that one should wait and hope quietly For the salvation of the Lord.
It is good for a man to bear the yoke in his youth.

There are innumerable causes to rejoice in this great family as well. Joy comes in the morning, He provides grace in abundance. We sing a new song that the world longs to hear -- for great is the Lord our God whose faithfulness keeps us to the end!

And what a glorious end it will be!

DD Sets In

I awoke with thoughts of toy pianos and whirlybird hats chasing through my mind. It's a plague I will affectionately dub Director's Dilemma (DD). And yup, you heard it right. This year my DD includes:

toy upright piano
Cat-in-the-Hat sized whirlybird cap

If you have either of these I am in need of one each for Seussical!

If you have any leads, let me know! (I'm currently watching 4 toy pianos on ebay.com. Craig's list had none.)


Thanks. I appreciate it.
(And maybe most of all I need prayer. This is when either it gets crazy... or I do!)

Nice and Easy Does It!

The stew -- slow roasted all morning in my spanking new Mauviel roasting pan -- includes potatoes, venison, and carrots.

Banana bread* and roasted brussel sprouts (I add minced garlic, rosemary, and thyme) rounds out the main course.

One-bowl brownies* with ice cream on top. (Got rave reviews for this simplest of all brownie recipe!)


Dinner is served -- easy does it! That makes a simple Sunday afternoon and I like that!

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*favorite family recipes

Banana Bread

1/2 c. oil
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
3 medium bananas, mashed
1 T. milk
1/2 t. vanilla

2 c. sifted flour
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. chopped walnuts (optional)

Beat oil and sugar. Add eggs and bananas, milk and vanilla.
Add dry ingredients and beat well.

Bake 350 approx. 1 hour in 9x5x3 loaf pan (greased)

• This recipe came from my dear friend in the Lord, Cathy Thomas, given to me years ago when she was a newlywed. I have tried others from time to time but none can compare to this one! Thanks, Cathy!

Best Brownies

1/2 c. butter, melted
1 c. sugar (a shy cup)
1 t. vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 c. unsifted flour
1/3 c. cocoa (a generous 1/3...)
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. baking powder
1/2 c. chopped nuts (optional -- but really, a brownie is much better when it's nutty!)

Blend butter, sugar and vanilla in large bowl. Add eggs; using a wooden spoon, beat well.
Add flour, cocoa, b. powder and salt; blend in thoroughly. Stir in nuts.

Spread into greased 9"square pan. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until brownie begins to pull away from edges of pan. Cool.

• This recipe is from Hershey's Chocolate Classics and has made it into the Sinclair all-time trusted recipe collection. It's always the best brownie going. My company "yummed" with every bite. "So chewy! What brand is this?!" My answer? "That's just a simple one-bowl brownie made from scratch. It's as easy as any box mix and a whole lot better!" One of my semi live-ins knowingly smiled and asked if I doubled the recipe. "Actually, I tripled it and baked it in my old roaster," came my response with a wink. He knows how things work around here! At any rate, you should try these brownies with vanilla ice cream. It can't be beat!
  

Psalm For Today

Trust in the Lord and do good.
Dwell in the land and feed on His faithfulness. Psalm 37.3

Sometimes we think we need some complicated answer, or a behavior prescription that would cause the most stouthearted to faint.

This morning's reading of Psalms brought me to this. And I discovered simplicity once again.

Trust, do good, live here and now, and feed on His provision.

Time to stop focusing on "woe-is-me" blues, horrific news stories, the enemy's tricks, and sorrow of this world. Today I will live here where I am with my whole heart. I will trust in Him, not believing the enemy will triumph. And when sorrow steals my heart, I will feed on His faithfulness, remembering His great works and looking ahead to His great promise of eternity with Him.

Oh, the wonderful Word of God.

Horton, Mayzie, and Who Knows Who?!

My Seussical! rehearsal materials have arrived. (Well, I use the term "my" loosely. We directors have a tendency to be a bit possessive and presumptuous. Pardon me, please.)

As I was saying, the librettos, scores, and orchestral parts are here, sitting in my kitchen. That means this is really happening, that it is time to get off my proverbial "patootie", and get the show on the road! Time to strike up the band, as they might say!

Someone asked me via Facebook (gotta love it) --

"Are you real? Or are you a very large think?"

I'm not always sure, with the notions I conjure up. But right about now I'm sure of this: the show is definitely a very large think. And soon enough it will be real -- a very large real.

Yeah, definitely time to get rolling!

Is It Because of Spring?

Perhaps it is the imminence of spring's arrival.

Or the reviewing of certain scriptures.

Or the exercise DVD I've been using (participating with? -- doing? -- How does one say that? I'm not solely watching the DVD -- I'm acting along with the instructor. You know, doing the exercises... it's much better than just watching the instructor.)

At any rate, I am happy to think I might get on top of certain things, such as inertia, weight gain, and general lethargy.

For a while it looked hopeless, but I just might "get back on track" after all ... again.