Is it July already? We spent the fourth of July in Ocean City, NJ. Hope everyone is having a relaxing holiday weekend!

The crowd. People were packed on the beach, onto the boardwalk, and beyond! You don’t even want to know the chaos we went through just to get off the island.

The fireworks coming off the barge in the ocean

Some fireworks… taking pictures in the dark was challenging!

Best pizza in South Jersey, hands down.

Ari doesn’t want to be left out. He posed this week too!

The long awaited baptism has happened! In a river. In a river- with fish.

For those who haven’t heard the tale…. when I was a little girl, I made a treaty with the fish. The ground rules were: when they were on land, I would not eat them. In return, when I entered the water, they would not eat me. I am happy to announce that the fish kept their end of the bargain, as I have kept mine.

Back to the baptism.

My two oldest children were baptized with me. It was a very cool (and cold) experience to get baptized in a river just as Jesus was. It was also cool to be out in nature during one the most important days of my life (yes, it greatly appeased my inner treehugger). Can I just say how much I love it that it is “normal” for this church to baptize in natural waters? I have spoken to far too many pastors that wouldn’t even entertain the idea. I know.

If you’d like to see all the pictures, you can click here : Baptism Album

Why no bloggy?

Life is really busy right now. This is why I haven’t blogged or visited your blog. This neglect is only temporary and I promise to be a commenting, mindful friend within the next week.

Last week, my brother had a seizure at work and while seizing, his arms fell on a fryer. He has second and third degree burns (and practically no skin on the back of his hands). Yes, it’s very serious. We need to treat the burns and find out why he is seizing in the first place. That has kept me on my toes and will continue to as I help him get the medical and insurance aspects of his life together.

I also have midterms for my classes this next week AND this is my last week with my children before they visit their father in Texas for 5 weeks. ALSO, Noelle, Joshua, and I are getting baptized this upcoming Sunday. So…. my life is full, but everything is okay with me for those who were worried. Thanks for caring, folks!

Another school year is closing. This was our first school year in this district. It was also the first year that I had all five children in school. I am sad to see this school year end because everything about it was fantastic. We are coming away with some really, really great memories. The bus drivers, the teachers, the teacher’s aides. We have grown to love them all this year.

Samantha went from Early Intervention into a Preschoolers With Disabilities program. Her teacher and teacher’s aides were just simply amazing. Samantha blossomed into an outgoing little chatterbox. I couldn’t be more thankful.

Emma had a Pre-K class filled with love. She grew very attached to her teacher and the two teacher aides who gave her great start for kindergarten.

Sophia had a wonderful year in first grade. Her reading has really come a long way this year. Her teacher was a real encouragement with that! She is now going to move over to the big school with 2nd-5th graders.

Joshua had a long year. He was diagnosed with ADHD this year and has been learning to cope with those issues. He’s come really far with that. His teacher was really great while working with Joshua. Joshua was able to maintain As and Bs all year.

Noelle was on the honor roll for the entire year. We are extremely proud of her. Her teacher worked with her strengths and helped with her weaknesses. Noelle is entering her last year of elementary school this upcoming year.

I am thankful for having some relaxation time this summer. I certainly need it. However, I am very excited for the next school year to start.

I practice yoga and I am a Christian. Some of you are impatiently asking yourself “And?”. While others, likely those who have hung out in conservative Christian circles, know why this is an issue. I’ll be honest. When I started practicing yoga years ago, I was interested in peaceful exercise. I had no idea it was controversial. Sigh.

Yoga is beneficial to one’s health. That’s a fact. Many doctors and therapists recommend it because of it’s many positive effects. The path of yoga does not have to interfere with anyone’s religion. It’s certainly not brainwashing anyone to worship Ganesh or Krishna. As a matter of fact, the Christian yoga movement is huge right now. Yoga has not only been a great health benefit, it has given me certain peace. For instance, it quiets my mind so I can think before I act irrationally or stop to appreciate the world around me.

There are Christian websites that claim that there is no scriptural basis for yoga. That is very true. There isn’t. Then again, there is no scriptural basis for football or rock music. Yet, Christians pray before football and Christian rock music has become wildly popular. On the other hand, there is no scriptural basis for yoga-per se, but there is scriptural basis for Christians taking care of themselves physically and spiritually. What if yoga aids in this?

Some Christians are scared of yoga because it was predominantly a Hindu or Buddhist practice. Let’s think about this logically though. If we are to reject yoga because pagans practice it, what does that say about Christmas? Many Christmas traditions have pagan roots as well. I think Susan Bordenkircher, the author of Yoga for Christians says it best, “So to forego the healing benefits of yoga because it is sometimes practiced within a different belief system is like telling God that He is not big enough to take something from the dark and bring it into the light.” AMEN.

For more on Yoga:

Yoga Basics

Yoga Journal

For more on Christ-based Yoga, visit one of these sites:

Christian Yoga

Praise Moves

Stretching For Jesus

Yahweh Yoga

Yoga and Christianity

Thirty years ago, on June 8th, I was born. Yep. I turned the big 3-0. Last year I made a post called “30 before 30″ which consisted of 30 things I wanted to accomplish before I turned 30. I have learned that making resolutions such as this is silly because man plans and God laughs.

They say the 30’s are the new 20’s. I am not quite sure I buy into that. Yet, I am not upset to enter a new decade into my life either. I have no complaints with the first decade of my life. My childhood was rather good and I had more love than any kid could hope for.

The second decade was spent in, well… teenage angst and band geekiness. The teen years thrived off of Concert Choir, Jazz Band, Marching Band, Concert Band, and Show Band- which was nice, but there are more things to life than band (though I rarely thought so back then). And looking back, high school was really quite trivial. That decade ended with me having my first child at the age of 19 and my incredible lack of knowledge to raise a baby! You couldn’t pay me enough to repeat that decade.

My 20’s were a roller coaster. There are portions of my 20’s that I’d like to gladly forget, but there are also portions that are near and dear to me. Like the birth of four of my children. The moment I got to see my beautiful angel Claudia kick in my belly and the moment at the hospital when I held that stillborn angel and said goodbye. I picked up the pieces after the death of a baby and a divorce, though not always gracefully. I do believe I made the best of things in the end. I made some amazing friendships in my 20’s- friendships that will I hope to carry into my 30’s and beyond. You girls know who you are. Overall, I lived hard in my 20’s, and I am happy to see that decade fade into the sunset.

On with 30. 30 is time to relax. I’ve already figured the parenting and marriage thing out. It’s time to simply enjoy my family. At 30, I am more comfortable with who I am. I am more bold in expressing it. I am also more comfortable in doing stuff for myself because I have learned that it is important to not lose myself in the midst of mommyhood. It’s all about balance. At 30, I am going to be baptized in a Mennonite Church- in a river. Just like I’ve always imagined. At 30, I will have a college degree- something I never believed I could do a decade ago. At 30, it is time to take better care of myself- mind, body, and spirit. Let’s face it, I’m not getting any younger.

What a great movie! This flick is enjoyable for parents and kids. The scenery is absolutely beautiful, displaying serene Asian landscape. It’s hilarious too. Love it. There’s a great message in it which wraps it all together nicely. Prince Caspian and Kung Fu Panda are THE movies to see this summer! This movie made me proud to be a Mandy Pandy Bear.

One of the greatest joys in June is how so many things are in bloom! The rain we have had lately has really brought many of my garden residents to life. It’s truly a blessing to see the color and cheer that comes from a few days of gloominess. Here’s some of the blooming around our yard!

The lavender. Oh my, this smells so good!

My tiger lilies

Gorgeous pink lilies!

While listening to the sermon at church today, some things began clicking in my head. I have always had an odd fascination with the Amish, Mennonites, Quakers, Hasidim, and the like- but never understood why. I will link to the sermon by Pastor Tim when Marlon gets the podcast up. Anyway, it was said that if you haven’t changed, you haven’t found Jesus. Wow. Isn’t that the truth? It suddenly dawned on me that those peculiar groups were so set apart from the world because God was in their lives. And there ya go. I admire them because they were brave enough to adhere to that peculiar calling. Yes, peculiar. All over the Bible it talks about his people being peculiar. Which brings me to further thoughts. The majority of churches in America are either not growing or declining in membership. Are people sick of the same old, same old? Why go to church if it’s not that different from a social club? Have we gone too far with cheesecake and cafes? Are churches too cool? I am going to dare say that people are tired of the same old, same old. People want peculiar. They want something radically different. The very few Christian movements that are growing offer something radical. Being Christian is being different. Perhaps that’s the flaw in Christianity today and why we’ve come to a stand still. Christianity is trying to blend in the world and while doing that, losing their message- losing its edge. Let’s face it folks, the Bible is radically different. Instead, Christianity should be drawing converts out of their way of life and into ours. Peculiar is good. Remember my Manifesto? Maybe I am different. Perhaps I am not normal. And I am starting to appreciate that.

Some Peculiar Verses….

For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth. –Deut. 14:2

Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.–Titus 2:14

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light; –1 Peter 2:9

The Bible says you will know them by their fruit. But what happens when everyone looks like an apple? (though some apples are more polished than others). I have been struggling with the issue of Christian appearance. This is coming from a girl who was raised to believe that it was almost a sin to enter a church without a skirt or dress on. Pants were for those “other women”. I know first and foremost- the stuff that really matters is in the heart and faith of a person. Let’s be real though. Appearance matters. I like to think that the outside is a reflection of what’s on the inside. So what is a Christian supposed to look like?

I like the testimony of plain and modest women. I think they are beautiful in their own way. You can outwardly tell that these women are striving for a close walk with Christ. I have been told by many of them that being plain or covering their head keeps them accountable. I have always regarded these women as the most Christian looking (you know- because people dressed like the Amish in Bible times).

Then you have “cool chick”. She has crazy hair and tattoos. People stare at her like she just might be insane. Yet, her testimony to Christ is one of the strongest I’ve heard. She certainly doesn’t “look” Christian. The moment I said that in my head, I began an argument with myself regarding what Christians do look like. I was also stunned by one of the “cool people” earlier this year when someone pointed out that wearing a nose ring was regarded as beautiful in the Bible. Holy cow. Seriously? Who knew? Cool chick is likely to not get a lot of respect at church. The kicker is, cool chick can probably evangelize better than half the church. Why? Because she truly is a part of the world, but she can also illustrate that she is definitely not of the world by her actions.

By the way- don’t believe me about nose rings in the Bible? Read, my friends.

“I bathed you with water and washed the blood from you and put ointments on you. I clothed you with an embroidered dress and put leather sandals on you. I dressed you in fine linen and covered you with costly garments. I adorned you with jewelry: I put bracelets on your arms and a necklace around your neck, and I put a ring on your nose, earrings on your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. So you were adorned with gold and silver; your clothes were of fine linen and costly fabric and embroidered cloth. Your food was fine flour, honey and olive oil. You became very beautiful and rose to be a queen. And your fame spread among the nations on account of your beauty, because the splendor I had given you made your beauty perfect, declares the Sovereign LORD.” Ezekiel 16:9-14

Go ahead and take some time to process it. I know, right? I was stunned too. Nose Rings in the Bible. What will that God think of next? Clearly, God was cool WAY before his time.

Let’s continue.

So this brings the dilema. It’s not how Christians should look, but how they should conduct themselves. I find this especially perplexing because there are a lot of people (very loud ones on television) who claim to be Christian. They may even dress the role very well. However, their actions say otherwise. And the world sees this. And it turns them away from Christianity. Who wants to be lumped in with hypocrites?

So we may know them by their fruit? We can all look like apples. Yet, even behind that red polished peel, the best looking apple can be rotten. The statement I made in the first paragraph is the problem. “Let’s be real though. Appearance matters.” To who? To God? Maybe if Christians cared more about how they acted, than how they looked, this would be easier (and yes, that certainly goes for me as well). Ultimately, I do think the inside eventually influences your outside. So fix your inside first. That’s the place that needs the most work. The rest will fall into place when you are right from within.