Holy Neptune, Lobsterman!

First off, this post has very little to do with the title.  So if that was your hook to start reading then you can stop now. 

I’ll start with the one relevant lobster reference.

Sometimes it gets kinda cold here, ok, really cold here.  Gloves or mittens are a necessity, whether for skiing, sledding, shoveling the driveway (which, by the way, I’ve been doing a LOT of in the last couple weeks), driving (so your hands don’t get stuck to the gearstick), or just walking around.  So the ultimate question: gloves or mittens?  The best part of gloves in my opinion is that you can use your fingers as they were designed to function.  Mittens of course inhibit this action, yet enable your fingers to stay close together and warm up.  My fingers get REALLY cold really easily, so I generally prefer mittens.  Then some genius (EXTREME sarcasm here) invented these mittens that had gloves on the inside.  So the outer layer looked like a mitten, but when you put your hand in it, it was like putting on gloves.  This, I would like to point out, defeats the best part of BOTH GLOVES AND MITTENS!  You can’t move around your fingers individually, and they are separated and don’t stay as warm.  Total failure.  Lobster gloves are another attempt at the fusion of gloves and mittens.  They allow two fingers to stay together and move independently of the other two fingers, and consequently look like lobster claws.  They also make you look like Spock stuck in a Vulcan salute “Live long and prosper!”  I have not tested this article in extreme weather conditions, so cannot advocate for their usefulness.  Glittens I’ve become a fan of.  Your fingers can stay warm, and then when you need to use them, just flip off the mitten part and BAM you have mobile fingers!  Mine also have llamas on them… so that may make me a little biased.

All right, on to something with purpose.

Today is my last day in Alaska, and it is quickly coming to a close.  I fly out in two short hours.  My time spent sitting in the Ted Stevens International Airport under wreaths bearing abnormally large pinecones with a blizzard raging outside is being spent ranting about the usefulness of gloves and mittens, and before I know it I will be back in Boston supposedly learning but also having a very good time with friends and family.  I had a fantastic break, but am looking forward to new adventures in Boston this semester, knowing I will be returning home in a few short months.  I will miss my friends and family dearly, you are all so special and more then coming home to Alaska I look forward to coming home to you.  Thank you all so so much.  Take care in the New Year.  Whether in Alaska or gallivanting elsewhere around the world, know that you are loved.  Good night everyone, good night moon (or should I say Neptune… to Thai it all in).

:) 

Moments Like These

So much stress and hubbub usually surrounds this time of year, and I don’t want to be too cliché here with the “true meaning of Christmas” line, but there is a little I’d like to reflect on that I hope can mean something to someone.

Last week I went caroling with some friends.  We gathered together, practiced our songs (the typical holiday hymns), secured our hats, gloves, boots, and coats, and headed out into the chilly night air to spread some holiday warmth.  The overcast sky like a blanket held the earth.  Snowflakes fell silently, gathering in the folds of my jacket, and frosting the trees with a fresh layer of snow to transform the neighborhood into a winter wonderland.  Mountains of snow lined the paved driveways, and the streetlight on the corner cast an orange glow over the surrounding trees, fading into darkness beyond.

The first couple houses we stopped at greeted us graciously as we sung “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” and “What Child is This.”  Christmas smiles broke into grins on the faces of neighborhood children, and parents smiled kindly as our mediocre chorus but outstanding camaraderie filled the night.  With high spirits we continued around the block and arrived at a house while singing “Away in a Manger.”  The owner came to the door, chuckled a little, and then slowly shut the door and walked away.  We patiently finished the song, and then retreated humbly. 

The next house we approached with a little more caution.  I knocked on the door, and watched as an elderly man struggled to rise out of a chair to answer.  He slowly made his way to the front of the house, where we, perched on the porch steps, began “Silent Night.”  The man turned away…

Silent night! Holy night!

All is calm, all is bright.

Round yon Virgin, Mother and Child

Holy infant so tender and mild,

Sleep in heavenly peace,

Sleep in heavenly peace.

…but only to open a side door and call to someone else.  A woman came.  Crawling on her hands and knees, through the door that he held open.  My voice wavered as I witnessed her struggling to make it down the hall towards the door we stood outside of, shivering in the cold.  She crawled until her head bumped against the glass door that separated her from us…

Silent night! Holy night!

Shepherds quake at the sight.

Glories stream from heaven afar,

Heavenly hosts sing Hallelujah,

Christ the Savior is born,

Christ the Savior is born!

…I reached forward to open the door, and held it while she sat back and looked up at us with tears in her eyes.  My voice caught, and I mouthed the words but no melody came from my lips.  She bowed before us crying, and then sat with her hands over her heart as we sang the final verse…

Silent night! Holy night!

Son of God love's pure light.

Radiant beams from Thy holy face,

With the dawn of redeeming grace,

Jesus, Lord at Thy birth,

Jesus, Lord at Thy birth.

I wished them a Merry Christmas, and backed away into the frigid night in awe.  It’s moments like these that make Christmas special.  It’s moments like these, finding the face of God in the faces around you, that make God’s grace real. 

Acts

Some musings…

I recently read through the book of Acts, and a couple things struck me a little more forcefully than they have in the past.  Put yourself in the shoes of the disciples, after the resurrection of Christ.  And what, go out and change the world?  Transform society into recognizing Jesus Christ as the Savior, the Messiah, the Son of God?  Think about it…  I think my life is stressful, I’m not walking around trying to convince the world that God was born in human flesh, lived and walked among us, was crucified, died, and buried, and rose from the dead and ascended into heaven to live eternally with God the father.  What would it have been like to be one of the first Christians?  Discovering the love of Jesus for the first time?  Spreading the word and essentially creating the religion we call Christianity? 

The first disciples spread out, proclaiming the Good News.  How radical is that?  I believe in a 2000-year-old religion, they created this religion.  The uproars created by Paul and the others would be so intense and met with such adversity if they were to happen now.  And yet, still countless take up the cross and follow Jesus.  Talk about faith.

Is it really that different though?  Was Paul’s mission that much different then the mission before us today?  Jesus’ commandment still stands.  “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.  And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20).  What is our excuse?  The opposition is really not that much more intense now.  Paul’s death was ordered, yet he did nothing worth death or imprisonment.  And when charged, Paul replied “…But this I admit to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our ancestors, believing everything laid down according to the law or written in the prophets.  I have a hope in God – a hope that they themselves also accept – that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.  Therefore I do my best always to have a clear conscience toward God and all people…” (Acts 24: 14-16).  Our actions are all too often driven by fear.  We forget, that with God there, with love there, fear is absent.  “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear…” (1 John 4:18).

How did they do it?  How can I do it?  “While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word” (Acts 10:44).  God did it.  Paul didn’t preach on his own, God was with him, and God is with me.  We are required to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with the Lord.  God will take care of the rest. 

Another question I asked myself, how has Christianity changed since the time Paul and the first disciples walked the earth?  As society and individuals change, does the faith change with us?  The building blocks are the same.  But are the practices?  The relationship with God held in such high esteem in the Bible, “pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18) is still just as applicable today as it was then.  Why then do I let life get in the way and cloud my focus on God?

A final thought, in Acts 26:8, Paul asks, “Why is it thought incredible by any of you that god raises the dead?”  A remarkable question if you as me, of course it is incredible, it’s a miracle!  But Paul’s faith is that great, “To this day I have had help from God…” (Acts 26:22).  God is here, with me always.  With Him all things are possible.

What are we waiting for?

“Be strong in the Lord and the strength of his power.” (Ephesians 6:10)