Thanksgiving 2010

Thanksgiving is the best holiday because

• there's lots of good food
  
• it's full of traditions
• you get to spend time with family
  
• there's no pressure to give gifts
  

:)

This being my first year to host it, it was a bit tiring, but totally worth it. Mom & Dad and Mary & Rob stayed for three overnights, so two full days, and it was just so nice to have no pressure to have to go anywhere or do anything other than be together and have fun and eat. We watched a couple movies - Last Chance Harvey and Marley & Me - in front of the fire. And we played games - lots of Take 2 with Mom & Mary, and a big game of Zilch with everyone yesterday afternoon. Kiff had to work both days all day long so she wasn't really around, but Phil was. He and Rob actually went to Maryland on the morning of Thanksgiving to play football with a bunch of guys Rob knows. (Rob came back with a bleeding nose and a black eye... :/ but he's okay.) Overall we just had a blast together!

Everyone's gone now, the kitchen is clean, the floors are vacuumed, the laundry is going, and I'm relaxing in the living room enjoying Jeff's classical guitar playing. :) Here are a few pics of the past two days:














We hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving too! Now the Christmas season begins ~ I'm breaking out my decorations soon!!

Almost Thanksgiving

I haven't posted anything in nearly a month! I usually try to post something once a week. Oh well. Here I am now.

I've been reading a book on heaven over the past few weeks called A Better Country, and boy is it whetting my appetite!! It's so refreshing, and so needed, to remember that this world is a dot, and heaven is the line; and that line that stretches into eternity is more wonderful than we can possibly imagine with our finite minds. Lord, hurry the day!

But in the meantime, we're here on earth and about to celebrate Thanksgiving - the best holiday of the year! In my opinion. :) I am sooooo eager for my family to come. Usually the Decker family Thanksgiving is held down at my parents' house in Lexington, but since they are no longer running the B&B, and since their little house in the woods is indeed little, and since I now have a house to host a family holiday, I offered to take on the task, and I'm very excited. It's like I'm finally a grown-up! :) It's just going to be Mom & Dad and Mary & Rob coming - making 8 of us total, because Grandpa is unable to leave the nursing home, and Grandmom is staying with him. The Schneiders are doing their own thing, and of course the Beamers are far away in Texas, and we will miss all of them. :( But the others will come tomorrow for two overnights (the Granges might stay three) and I'm just really, really eager for some quality family time with them all. I'm sure I'll take lots of pictures, so I'll be posting them at some point.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Enjoy all that good food and the time with your own families. :)

Up to the Mountain

Documenting a little excursion Jeff and I took to the Skyline Drive on Sunday:

Sylvie's Birthday in Charlottesville

My birthday (#34!) was this past Monday, and Jeff took me to Charlottesville for a one-night getaway........ We took the scenic way down on Monday morning, winding through gorgeous Virginia countryside - horse farms lined with white fences, rolling hills covered with fall foliage... mmmm. After arriving in Charlottesville, we walked along the pedestrian-only Main Street lined with shops and restaurants. We meandered through the University of Virginia, took tons of photos of the gorgeous grounds, and discovered some lovely gardens hidden behind a row of wonderful old brick buildings. That night we went to a fantastic restaurant on Main Street called Maya (you have to go if you're in the area sometime!) where the food was incredibly delicious and the ingredients organic and locally grown, and where they have a fun outdoor seating area under a canopy and surrounded by plants and candlelight. We stayed at a historic B&B downtown (which, to be honest, was a bit of a disappointment... It's not nearly as nice as Mom & Dad's in Lexington). And the next day we visited Monticello (Thomas Jefferson's home) which neither Jeff nor I had been to before. That was the highlight of our trip - so beautiful!

Here are a few shots of the University of Virginia:

A tightrope walker practicing his skills:
I love old doorways.
Here's the front of Monticello. We went on a tour of the inside of the house, but taking photos wasn't allowed inside. :( We saw Thomas Jefferson's library including some of his original books... his bedroom where he died... his dining room painted in a garish yellowish gold color... the small family room used as a schoolroom where his eleven grandchildren were taught by Thomas Jefferson's daughter, Martha Jefferson Randolph... and more. :) So interesting.
On the back steps of the mansion:
My studly husband:
The back of Monticello was a large grassy yard surrounded by a path that was lined with flowering plants... It was lovely.


Recognize this from the back of the nickel?? Of course this shot is off-center. And it has me in it. But fix those things, and you've got the nickel image. :)
This walkway led right into a sunroom on the side of the mansion:

On the south side of Monticello was Mulberry Row which included extensive vegetable gardens, a vineyard, and an orchard, and overlooked the valley in the distance.
I tried having a chat with Tom, but he wasn't too responsive. He wouldn't even look at me so I had to get on my tip toes to get in his line of vision.
And I just had to capture these trees on our way out... The foliage wasn't at its peak, but what we saw was lovely.
If you ever have a chance to visit Monticello, I highly recommend it!

Ruffling a Few Feathers?

So I'm in a weekly women's discipleship group, and this past Tuesday our study was on an article called "Relationship Evangelism" - so you can guess what it was about. Lots of unsaved people out there... we need to befriend them and win them over to salvation... who else will do it if we don't....

My (and Jeff's) perspective on the topic of evangelism is so fundamentally different from that of this article, so during the discussion at my group I basically kept my mouth shut. I felt that if I voiced my opinion, it would open a can of worms. Well, I decided the next day to send out an email to the ladies telling them why I was silent the day before - that I disagreed with the premise of the article, and I didn't want to rock the boat. A few of them wrote back and said they were sad that I felt I had to keep silent, and that I got their curiosity up, and that I should feel free to explain my perspective.

So last night I spent a few hours drafting an email and after Jeff's review and approval :) I sent it out to the ladies. I thought maybe I'd post it here, just in case any of you wanted to read it and comment with your thoughts. No pressure, though. :) Here it is:

Okay Ladies... :)

I've put a lot of time and thought into this. I want to ask you ahead of time - please forgive me if I offend you in any way. I don't mean to!! And I tried to be as brief as I could, but it ended up being a little longer than I intended. Sorry. :) I made it kind of thorough because I'm reacting not only to the article we read, but also to the attitude toward evangelism that I see permeating the church these days - something I've disagreed with for years. So as you read my thoughts, please don't think any of this is aimed directly at any of you. It's more a reaction to a popular idea in the church that I disagree with, and this article just brought it out again.

My view on evangelism is based on Scripture's description of the body of Christ and the believers' various roles within it. (I don't believe the correct way to look at any doctrine is to come up with an idea, and then find scripture to try to support it. The best way, as I think we all would agree, is to go straight to Scripture and see what it says. I think looking at what the body of Christ is is the best way to illuminate the topic of evangelism.)

Many times, Scripture compares the Church to a physical body; Romans 12:3-5 is one example:

"For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others."

The passage in 1 Corinthians 12 is particularly relevant too, but it's long so I won't include it here. I'll just quote verse 18: "But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be."

So we've got different parts in the body ~ arms, hands, eyes, ears, legs, feet, etc. Each part has its unique function within the body. Arms aren't made to see; they're made to hug! :) Legs aren't made to smell things; they're meant to walk places. Ears aren't meant to paint pictures; they're meant to listen... and so on. I believe so it is with the body of Christ - we all have our roles to play based on what our strengths and gifts are. (And what a beautiful picture of how much we all need each other!!)

I've heard many people say that Scripture commands each one of us to evangelize the lost, based on the "great commission" at the end of Matthew. But as it's always important to look at the context of any scripture, so it is with this passage. It documents the time when Jesus was speaking to the 12 disciples right before His ascension. They became, as we all know, the 12 apostles and went all over the world establishing the first century church. Of course their job was to fulfill the great commission; that was the point of their being apostles. But I just don't think that to transfer that command to all New Testament believers is legitimate. It was spoken in a unique place at a unique time for a unique purpose. And I think that taking that scripture and applying it to all believers puts undue pressure on us - pressure that God never intended.

I was noticing that the lesson we studied was based on an article and not on Scripture. It was someone's logical strategies for how to win as many lost people as we can. Yes, it quoted a few verses here and there, but I don't believe they supported the basis of the argument the article was trying to make. Human strategies and plans are alright I guess, in some circumstance; but to base a doctrine on them is, I believe, unwise. Sure, the ideas that the article puts forth make a lot of logical sense... It makes us feel like "Oh man, I really should be out there evangelizing... How else will my neighbors (or whoever) come to know Christ?!" And it gives us a logical, manmade strategy to make it all happen.

The article's argument puts pressure on people to get out there and make a few recruits - to befriend unsaved people with the hidden motive of eventually bringing up 'the conversation' challenging them to consider their spirituality. I'm not saying having this kind of strategy is always wrong... I guess it can be very effective. But while this lifestyle may come quite easily to some people gifted in evangelism (and I say, more power to them!), I believe this approach for all believers is fundamentally incorrect because:

1. Saving unbelievers simply isn't up to us. That's God's job. (And I believe Scripture would strongly support the idea of letting Him determine how to reach people, not take the responsibility on ourselves to help Him out. He's the head of the body, after all. Let Him direct the parts of the body as He wills.) Of course evangelists are vital to the growth of the church, and those who are gifted should be encouraged and equipped to go out there and use their gift and tell people about Jesus. "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" They should be honored among us. But my argument remains: not everyone is gifted in that area, and God's the one in charge not only of who is gifted for what in the body, but also of saving people.

2. It puts undue pressure and false guilt on those of us who aren't gifted evangelistically to try to be someone we're not.

I was made to glorify God and to walk humbly before Him and to use the gifts He's given me. With all due respect to anyone who disagrees, I would humbly resist any responsibility other than what God has given me. And if, in the course of my life as I live to glorify God, someone sees, maybe even asks questions, is won over to faith in Christ - wonderful!! Praise God for orchestrating that!! It's just not my job to try to orchestrate it. And it's not my job to try to force myself into the evangelist's role, because evangelism simply isn't my gift.

Any time I read Scripture that tells us what God's will for every believer's life is, it's to live justly, love mercy, walk humbly with our God, rejoice, be thankful, show hospitality to each other -- that kind of general command. I say let's just humbly leave it at that (in terms of what we are ALL called to do), and trust our sovereign God to orchestrate everything else (including who's gifted for which specific jobs).

*whew* Did you last all the way to the end??? Thanks for reading my dissertation on evangelism!! I'll be applying for my doctorate shortly......... ;)

Organizing Project #1

So you know how I offered to organize a few people's rooms for free in exchange for before and after pictures and a testimonial? Mary was my first taker. :) Here is the little room that she wanted to make into an arts and crafts room.

Before:
And after:
To the left, she's got general crafty projects stored in the cabinet, fabric and sewing supplies in/on the skinny bookshelf, and a table for a workspace...
...and to the right, a painting section (although when she paints she'll take the easel into another room for better lighting) and a shelving unit that stores her gift wrap supplies, more painting tools, and a bunch of frames.
So fun, right? :)

Me? An Entrepreneur?

Who would have ever thought that I would embark on a business venture of my own? But here I am, contemplating it.

I love turning lemons into lemonade, and I love turning a messy, chaotic room into a place of order and peace. And it's not just that I enjoy it... It actually gives me a rush of happy adrenaline. If I'm in a bad mood, give me a messy closet to organize and clean, and I transform into a happy person.

When I married Jeff, his (our) home had been without a woman's touch for three years. So maybe you can imagine how much I, as a new wife, longed to not only clean the place up, but also put my own touches on it, making it my own! I remember the first week we were back from our honeymoon, I dove into the kitchen cabinets with passion, throwing away out-of-date cans of diced tomatoes, wiping down the cabinet doors, and re-organizing everything in a way that made things more efficient and aesthetically pleasing. I attacked each room after that with the same passion - the living room, rec room, guest room, office. Oh my, but I loved redoing that office! Last but not least was the basement ~ that scary place full of memorabilia and old clothes, seasonal decorations and junk. And when all of these things are mixed up together, organizing it all is pretty intimidating. After Jeff and the kids helped me separate all their stuff into the various categories (trash, Goodwill, keep), I set myself loose. And oh my goodness, was it fun! I woke up on those days with energy and enthusiasm, knowing that I was going to pour myself into the productive and rewarding project of transforming that messy basement into a place of order and peace.

When the basement was finished, I realized I had run out of things to organize in our home! (Well, there are Kiff's and Phil's rooms, but that's another story - and those rooms aren't really my territory!) And it occurred to me that I could do this for other people too - and make a little money at the same time. So that's what I'm about to try to do.

It's actually a burgeoning business. Five or ten years ago, the idea of hiring a professional organizer wasn't too common. But these days, it's a different picture. And I think I'd like in on the action. :)

I've been thinking I might call it Sylvia Case Organizing. Nice and simple and to the point. (Funny how my new last name fits this idea so well!)

I've been reading How to Start a Home-Based Professional Organizing Business and doing some online research. My next step is to offer my services free of charge to several friends in exchange for before and after photos and their testimonials. Then I'll start up a simple website and a Facebook page for my business, and go from there! It's nice that my overhead will be practically non-existent!

It's exciting and, to be honest, a little intimidating. But.... one step at a time. :)