Apache

So Sir-Dance-a-Lot enters the scene again in our ongoing skit - he's the guy that seems to always have to enter to a musical number.  You can't see him in the picture above, but you can see the results - today's dance number was to the song, "Apache," which has a dance made famous by the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.  This was a main stay a few years ago, a funny dance that we'd break out into from time to time.  For no apparent reason.

Today we were learning about Othniel again, that obscure guy from two books in the Bible, "Joshua" and "Judges."  Daddy sort of embraced this obscure prophet's story, and actually got a message out of a few verses.

     A long time ago, a king had a problem: there were wicked giants on his land. And so he made a decree: “I will give my daughter’s hand in marriage to the man who drives these giants away.”
     And so it came to pass that a valiant knight in God’s service, Othniel, rode forth into battle! And amazingly, he was back before the king could even say “dost though knowest the time?”
     True to his word, the king gave his daughter’s hand in marriage to the brave knight for his remarkable deeds. And though their fighting was not quite over with yet, they did live happily ever after for many years to come. They lived in a land of peace for forty years!
     As much as this may sound like a fairy tale, it is in fact a story taken straight from your Bible. The man Othniel was indeed a brave soldier for God, the first Judge recorded in the book of Judges. His story is a simple one, but one we can learn from.
     He went out and battled giants. His name literally means “the force of God.” Judge him by his size do you? He was fearless! This was because the Spirit of the Lord was on Othniel.
     Do you have giant problems you’re facing? Draw close to Him, and the force of God will help take down any giant situations that rise up. Just remember it is not you that wins the fight alone. If you are to have any victory at all, it must be from Christ, who strengthens us – and not at all by your own power.
     As you ride onward, remember who is sending you. And remember that the bigger the battles, the bigger the victories! We must conquer the giants, those darker things that come against us. Your charge, brave warriors, is to do as He asks, face the battle with courage, and ride off a champion.
     Like Othniel, you too can become a “force of God.” You can slay those giants, and ride off into your own “happily ever after.” 

It was a great day at church this morning, lots of fun.  Madison enjoyed the services, as she always goes to both each morning.  Mommy goes to the first usually, taking a few pictures - like the one above - and then goes off to Aldi's to get some grocery shopping done.  There, she runs into all sorts of people that also go to our church, following the same pattern.

We got home and did a bit of piano, of course.  And there was the fasting journal as well - we added to that a bit too.  One more week to go!

We've been reading some, and as always, Mommy always makes a great fast-friendly meal.  Today, it was this vegetarian chili that was just perfect.  And it was spicy too - although not so much that you were crying for some water as soon as possible.

Daddy used to be a fan of a spicy stuff.  Until that fateful day at a gas station in Florida where they let you sample this uber-hot sauce.  Until that moment, nothing had ever been challenging to try.  And it was a slow-release effect too - only when I was on the road did the sudden heat and fire onslaught occur.  And Mommy was sitting there in the passenger seat praying for Daddy as he was praying for the next exit to come up on the highway as soon as possible, in order to get another drink as soon as possible.  It was amazingly hot, and ever since then, Daddy has a healthy respect for those hot sauces that come from South of the Border.  Strangely enough though, the Chinese and Japanese spices don't bother us so much.  They represent an initial explosion of heat, and yet they go away.  Unlike the South of the Border sauces, that tend to stick with you and punish you for extended periods of time.

ANYWAY, a little word of wisdom to Madison:  you're not invincible when it comes to hot sauces.  There's always one that will get you!

Tonight, we settled down early despite the day off tomorrow.  It's Martin Luther King Day, which is always an unusual beacon in the middle of January - a day off just two weeks after the holiday break.  If only MLK was born in February, then "Black History Month" would make a little more sense.  Presently, it is in February, rather in January, where MLK Day sits poised as the highlight holiday to remind us all of black history.

A few years ago, Daddy wrote a script for a video we shot about Martin Luther King.  It was directed at our kids to educate them about the day, but it was also a great time of research, learning a bit about the importance of his most famous speech.  We'll close with that here, below:

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     Each January, we stop for a day to remember a dream.  Although something we take for granted today, this remarkable dream was something hoped for, and something not yet seen for many generations.  It was a dream of freedom for all men and women.

     It’s hard to believe that this great nation of ours once kept people as slaves, from north to south and east to west.  This ended after a great Civil War, and an announcement from President Abraham Lincoln.  His Emancipation Proclamation was a piece of a paper that did something no other President before him dared to do:  free the slaves.

     You see, he really believed those words in the Declaration of Independence:  All men were created equal.  But what made him a great man was his courage to act on his belief.

     The tragedy was that he never lived to see his dream of a nation at peace come true.  

     Some time afterwards, there was a need for a memorial, a monument to remember the greatest President in history:  the Lincoln Memorial.   It would be a lasting tribute to honor so important a man and his accomplishments.

     And it would be here at this location that a hero would emerge.  It was exactly one hundred years since Lincoln signed that paper to make all men equal.

     Yet one hundred years later, they still were not free.  One hundred years later, they were still chained with the shackles of discrimination, and supreme abuse.  One hundred years later, we still did not know love.

     But something stirred throughout the storms of persecution.  And in the shadow of the Lincoln Memorial, a man emerged – a man of courage, a man of valor.  A man who had a dream.

     It was a simple dream, one where all God’s children would be able to sing together.  And people will be judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.

     Each January we look back and remember this remarkable man, the man with a dream.  Sadly, he never got to see his dream come to pass – but today, we are seeing it unfold before our very eyes.

     Martin Luther King did so much more than give us a day off every year.  This week, take a moment to stop and remember how far we’ve come.  Remember how far we have to go.  But always remember… the dream.

DAY FIFTEEN
Psalm 46:1 says, “I waited patiently for the Lord to help me and He turned to me and heard my cry.” Thank God for His perfect timing! Sometimes we want things sooner, but God knows what is best. Think of a time where you found yourself glad that something happened at the right time, and share it below!

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Pray for the right people to come into your life – and the wrong ones to leave! God puts you together with people who help you become a better person. Write below some of those people – and what they do to make you stronger and wiser.

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Read today’s Bible story in Matthew 14:22-36. Why was Peter sinking under the waves? Write below how we can get out of trouble when we find ourselves sinking beneath them.

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