The Saturday 7

We did it! We made it through the first week of February! Only three more to go!

1. I've been thinking a lot about success lately. Especially a Christian view of success. Working at a school has opened my eyes to the priorities some parents have about their children's education - namely that a high quality education is sacrosanct. And I can't help but wonder why. Why does your child need the absolute best of the best, top-notch education? To get into the best college? Why? To get the best job? Why? To make a lot of money and be happy? Maybe I'm just a country bumpkin, but that seems so futile to me. Don't get me wrong. I believe in quality education. I think we should be good stewards of the brains and abilities God has given us. But I think, just like anything else, we can idolize our pursuit of education as a means to success. Really, I think we tend to idolize success in general. Is that what God has called us to? Wealth, privilege, and comfort? I've been more and more convicted lately that this endless scramble for happiness we all seem to be caught up in is only harming us . . . and making us less happy. We have been designed to find joy and satisfaction in God. By his grace, we can experience happiness through other means, but true fulfillment is only found in him. Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 4, "make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody." The older I get, the less I care that my kids have the best chance at success and the more I just want them to love Jesus and follow him faithfully.

2. I read three books this week. The first was Wings of Refuge by Lynn Austin. I've read and loved almost everything by her, but somehow missed this gem from the year 2000. It ended up being my first 5-star book of the year, because despite its age, it was remarkably relevant. The story follows a 42 year old woman from the U.S. who signs up for an archaeological dig in Israel. She becomes embroiled in the tension between Israel and Palestine that was apparently a hot issue in 2000. It was almost creepy to read, knowing the author was blissfully unaware of the coming attacks on September 11 just a year later. But it was a fascinating look into Israel's recent history that made me hungry for more.

3. A few rabbit trails later, I ended up diving into my second book of the week: Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist: Unlocking the Secrets of the Last Supper by Brant Pitre. Haha. I told you - it was more than one rabbit trail. As a rule, I generally avoid any book that claims to "unlock a secret" to something, because it reeks of "click-bait." But this one really piqued my interest. I've always been interested in understanding ancient Jewish culture, but I've never really had access to any material about it outside of the Bible - mainly because I can't read Hebrew and I tend to shy away from academic tomes. Anyway, this book was a really good layman's introduction to Jewish culture . . . and it really did unlock some secrets. Lol. Kind of. I believe in the sufficiency of the Bible - meaning we have what we need to know for salvation and godly living. But sometimes, the truths of the Bible become even richer when we understand some of the cultural background that is lost to us as 21st century readers of an ancient text. Jesus and the Jewish Roots opened my eyes to so many cool connections about what 1st century Jews were hoping for in the coming of the Messiah, how intricately the Passover celebration points to Jesus as that Messiah, and how staggering his command to "eat his flesh and drink his blood" would have been to a Jewish audience. I learned some interesting things about how Jewish covenants always involved a meal and how our modern communion is so intrinsically linked with Jesus' Last Supper. However, a caveat . . . the author is Catholic, and he spent a lot of time defending his belief that the bread and wine literally become Jesus's body and blood in the Eucharist. I wasn't convinced by his arguments, but don't consider it a hill to die on. My biggest concern, though, was that so much of his rhetoric implies that partaking in the Eucharist is required for salvation. I'm not sure if that's a Catholic doctrine or not, but it's a dangerous assertion that I don't think is Biblical. So read the book for the cool Jewish cultural connections and remember that the Bible is clear that salvation comes through faith alone!

4. The third book was also from the backlist of another author I've read and loved: Francine Rivers. To this day, after reading thousands of books, I still claim Redeeming Love as my favorite. I also love her Bridge to Haven, The Atonement Child, and the Lineage of Grace series. But I've never read The Last Sin-Eater - mostly because the title turns me off. Truthfully, I always thought it was fantasy until I made myself pick it up this week and read the synopsis. It's more historical than anything, but was a little weird for my taste. I didn't like it nearly as much as some of her other works.

5. Lena had four basketball games this week, so I didn't do much other than work, ride to basketball games, and read. Lucy is taking advantage of these long drives to get some hours in toward her license requirements. I'm a wimp and don't like her to drive in the snow, so she doesn't have nearly the amount of hours she needs, and her 16th birthday is in just over 3 months! This winter has not been ideal for a new driver . . . or for quality of life in general. 😭

6. I've been scouring Pinterest for ideas for my next school fundraiser, and their algorithm is a strong one. I clicked on one meme and was offered 475 more and got off on another wild tangent . . . and ended up with a lot of memes to share this week. So we're just going to skip number 6 and go straight to . . .

7. Pics and memes!

Eating a pizza slice as big as her head while on her Daddy-Daughter Birthday Date at the mall.

Lena got three fouls in this game . . . mostly because she's still learning how to set a pick, but it never ceases to crack me up when she fouls girls twice her size.