Like Father, Like Son...

Payne-ful Christmas

Here are some more Christmas shots I captured last week after Thanksgiving...these are of my parents (the Paynes) and their grands...

First Christmas

The Christmas season is in full swing! Wahoo! Hope you all had a blessed Thanksgiving...

Thought I'd start off the Yuletide season with some Christmas pics I took of my niece, Bethany...this is her first Christmas!

Padwan Learner

Okay, this post is for all you Star Wars junkies out there...well, really the moms of boys who are the Star Wars junkies (Tonya, did you hear that???)

Master Jedi Blane has taken on a padwan learner as his apprentice. Padwan Caleb is showing promising signs of a future that will involve the use of light sabers (or so says his master!) Master Blane says Padwan Caleb's meta-chlorines are higher than even young Anakin Skywalker's were (reverent ooohs and aaahs...)

May I just stop right here and say that at times, I wanna slap myself for ever thinking that letting them watch Star Wars was a good idea...Do you feel that way, too, Tonya?

I must say, though, that I do enjoy watching my boys tear out the back door together to go out and defeat the evil forces trying to invade our "starship" (aka, our house). I pray that they will always be close buddies. I pray that Blane continues to show Caleb how to fight evil. I pray that they will work together take on the forces of Satan and gain victory for our Lord and His Kingdom.

Fight on, boys!

Caleb Cam: Outside Play

Caleb chewing on some dried fruit as he played...

For those of you concerned that Blane and Ally Beth don't get devoted "cam" entries, I must explain...

Since birth, I have taken thousands upon thousands of pictures of them and they generally avoid the camera...

Caleb is not yet "traumatized" by mommy's photography addiction, plus he is the one growing the fastest, so... he gets the "cam" entries (plus he's cuter than they are...JUST KIDDING...kind of)

Caleb LOVES swords, even if they're as big as he is. He walks around all over the place hauling a sword pretty much all day. Gotta love those weapon-totin' almost 18 month-old boys!

Caleb Cam: These Shoes Were Made for Walkin'...

and that's just what they do...

When I was getting out the fall clothes for everyone, I found this pair of shoes I had set aside for Caleb. They had first belonged to Ally Beth when she was Caleb's age.

Then, a Zipp kid or two wore them...

Now, Caleb dons them. They are his play shoes. When he sees me get them out, he knows it's time to go outside. He is so giddy to be going outside that I can hardly tie the laces (the cast doesn't help matters!) A rush of nostalgia comes over me when I put these time tested, well-worn navy blue Keds onto his little size 5 feet...

Oh, the places you'll go, Caleb!

I can't wait to see where God takes you in your life!

My prayer for you is,

"...that you will walk in His ways, that

you will keep His decrees, commands and laws, and that you will obey Him."

Deuteronomy 26:17

Further thoughts about a quiet life...

Ann Voskamp at Holy Experience is my favorite momma-blogger. Though the following quotes are not her own (she is quoting others), I find her selections to follow nicely with my musings about an ambitiously quiet life...

From "A Testament of Devotion" by Thomas R. Kelly:

"One can have a very busy day, outwardly speaking, and yet be steadily in the holy Presence..."

With delight I read Brother Lawrence, in his "Practice of the Presence of God," at the close of the Fourth Conversation it is reported of him,

"He was never hasty nor loitering, but did each thing in its season, with an even, uninterrupted composure and tranquility of spirit. ‘The time of business,’ he said, ‘does not with me differ from the time of prayer, and in the noise and clatter of my kitchen, while several persons are at the same time calling for different things, I possess God in as great tranquility as if I were upon my knees at the blessed sacrament.’ "

"Our real problem [of not experiencing God in the routine of life and work]...is not a lack of time; it is, I fear, in too many of us, lack of joyful, enthusiastic delight in Him, lack of deep, deep-drawing love directed toward Him at every hour of the day and night."

Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life...

In my time of mental preparation for the escalating madness that begins around Thanksgiving and rapidly avalanches into Christmas, I stumbled upon this verse,

“Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life... ” I Thessalonians 4:11a

In light of my growing to do list, how do I apply this verse? It seemed to stand in stark contrast to my mental list of preparations: meals to plan for and prepare, gifts to be made, gifts to be purchased, wrapping to be done, decorations to be put out, cards to send, baking to be done and delivered, parties to attend, travels to budget for...I’m tired just thinking of it all!

How do I reconcile November and December with Paul’s exhortation to lead a quiet life? My first thought was that Paul couldn’t possibly know about 21st century living when he penned this...

Yet, I know God’s Word is not out of date. Every single word is relevant for our lives, even in our 24/7 post-modern culture.

Upon closer inspection of this verse (and with some words of wisdom from Ann Voskamp at Holy Experience that added to my musings), I have begun to see this verse with more clarity. This is what I discovered...

I am told to lead a quiet life. What does a quiet life look like? Can a house with multiple young children who are always at home ever be quiet? What does quiet living mean... aside from an absence of noise?

free from tumult; tranquil; peaceful

free of turmoil and agitation; untroubled

restful; soothing

tranquil; serene

(Hmm...not exactly a description of life at our house...)

This life will never be free from tumult. How can I achieve quietness in the midst of it?

Then, it dawned on me that quiet comes in my responses to the life around me. I can be agitated and tossed about by my circumstances, or I can relinquish them all to the gentle Shepherd. Quietness does not originate in our circumstances...

Jesus wasn’t exactly born in quiet circumstances. All of Judea was turned upside down for a government mandated census. Into this madness, our Shepherd King was born as a helpless small babe...and most everyone was too busy with their circumstances to notice. Only a small handful stopped amidst the hustle and bustle to worship the King of the Universe.

Fast forward 33 years...Jesus was crucified around a major Jewish holiday...Passover. I’m sure the Jewish mommas totally missed the relevance of what was going on in the Holy City because they were too wrapped up in Passover cleaning and cooking. I’m sure some of them thought, “Let the men deal with all the politics. I have a lamb to roast.”

The Holy Spirit came at another time of tumult for Jerusalem...its walls packed in thousands of pilgrims who came for Pentecost and there was much confusion and chaos already present when the Spirit swept in...

God slips in and works in the midst of turmoil. If I am wrapped up in the tumult around me and not seeking Him, I just might miss the big things He is doing. It is in focusing on Him in the midst of turmoil and in quieting my heart that I am able to participate in these almost unnoticeable happenings that can change the world.

Youch. How often do I miss the miracles that happen around me daily by being too wrapped up in the tasks of managing our home and directing our school day?

Quietness is a deliberate choice...

This led to my next revelation...it takes ambition to lead a quiet life. What is ambition?

An eager or strong desire to achieve something,

intense devotion, eagerness, passion

great warmth and intensity of emotion

an ardent desire or craving

earnestly seeking after

The attainment of quiet living takes intense devotion. It doesn’t just happen. It takes strong vision, ardent desire and earnest seeking to achieve quiet living. In other words, quiet living is not something that happens...it is planned for and toiled towards.

Somehow, I have believed in the past that ardor and passion are not synonymous with quiet tranquility.

Now, I see that quiet, tranquil living is a passionate and intense work that requires much ardor to achieve. It requires being able to withstand disappointing others when we decline their invitations to come to an event we can’t reconcile with our schedule, and much strength to be okay with being misunderstood by the culture around us, including our friends and extended families.

I must work to claim quietness for my precious brood. I must have a clear perspective of what God requires of me and I must work at saying no to all that both tradition and others demand of me.

Mary sat at the feet of Jesus when culture dictated she be up and preparing a festive meal for her guests. Martha scurried around busily. I often wonder if Mary’s subconscious heckled at her to get up and help Martha. If so, I’m sure it took work to stay glued to the feet of Jesus. But, Mary did it. She was criticized publicly for her choice. No one else understood. But Jesus said Mary had made the better choice. She had chosen the quiet life.

I am after the approval of Christ. His Word says to lead a quiet life. This type of living rages against our culture’s way of living. If I live as He commands, that means that others won’t understand my choices. That needs to be okay with me. I don’t need to try to live with a foot in both worlds.

It takes work to swim upstream.

What work do you need to do to claim quiet living for your family in the twilight of 2009?