Early Again

Oh boy.  6:00 am came early again this morning, partly because we were up late watching that ice dancing competition in Sochi.  But the other reason is that we haven't had to get up so early since last week, when Madison last had school.  But here we are again on another great day.

Today Madison got a lot of loot.  We covered half the kitchen table with all the Valentine's Day cards and candy and chocolate.  She got heart boxes with chocolate inside, and her favorite candy right now: fun dip.  She got lots of conversation hearts and of course all kinds of cards.  Her bounty was so great that it couldn't all fit inside her Valentine's Day castle that she made.  It was great to see her get so much, and really enjoy the holiday:  again!

We did have piano this afternoon, so it was a happy return to Winter Wonderland, where the clues to our upcoming event our getting us closer to the answer - we seem to have some magician's supplies as clues:  scarves, ropes, playing cards, a chest, and a ping-pong ball.  We have no idea exactly, but Winter Wonderland will be fun regardless.  As for piano, that all went well - particularly the one tune that Daddy learned to play.  Things looked a little challenging when you go up the scale past high do, but it was actually easy to play, even though the notes are unfamiliar-looking on the scale itself.  Madison did much with percussion, writing out notes, and of course playing chords as well.  She did well too - and was sure to hand Mrs. Pam a late Valentine's Day gift.  Blame that on the weather!

We're talking about the Sword and the Stone in a few weeks, and comparing it to young David, who was chosen over all his bigger, stronger brothers to be king.  The concept of the sword and the stone, we thought, had a familiar feel with Thor's hammer:  only the one who is worthy could pick up the hammer itself, right?  That's why we wrote a pretty quick video today, thinking it might be fun to integrate a bit of superhero Thor into the service, as the new movie will be out on Blu Ray that week.  Here's the general idea:

HOST:  “The mighty Thor is out of this world.  Literally, the guy is from another planet and has all kinds of crazy super powers.”

CUE IMAGE OF THOR

HOST’S VOICE:  “But he wasn’t always heroic.  In fact, to begin with, his heart just wasn’t right at all.”

CUE HOST

HOST:  “That’s why his dad did something pretty serious.  He took away his powers, and sent him to earth to learn how to really be a hero.  Only once he was worthy, then he’d be able to pick up his famous hammer.”

CUE VIDEO of GUYS TRYING TO PULL OUT HAMMER

HOST’S VOICE:  “Until that point, a lot of people tried to pull that thing out of the stone.  Big, strong guys came up to that hammer and just about pulled their backs out.  They even tried to use a truck.”

(This is the part where Stan Lee’s truck gets messed up)

HOST’S VOICE:  “That didn’t end well.  You see, it’s all because they weren’t worthy.  Their hearts weren’t right.”

CUE HOST

HOST:  “Some time ago, there was a group of brothers in a similar situation.  The prophet Samuel was sent to their in order to pick out the next king.  (HOST straightens up, trying to present himself as bigger, and more noble)  Each of them looked the part, that’s for sure.  But just then, God told the prophet this:”

CUE SLIDE:  “1 Samuel 16:7”

HOST’S VOICE:  “Man looks at how someone appears on the outside. But I look at what is in the heart.”

CUE HOST

HOST:  “And that’s when little scrawny David entered the scene - he was out taking care of his sheep.  But you know something – he had a good heart, didn't he?   That's why he was chosen the next king.”

CUE VIDEO of THOR FLYING in AVENGERS

HOST:  “Thor figured it out too – by the end of the movie, he started thinking of others first, and becoming a real hero.  That’s how he got his hammer – and his powers – back.  This guy is incredible!”

CUE HOST

HOST:  “And that’s where you’ll find power as well.  You might not have a hammer like that, but you can be a real hero to God when you put others first, and have the right heart.”

Anyway, the point is, in order to write that, Daddy had to sort of look through the movie "Thor" itself to see if there were any brief clips that we could show in the service.  And that's when we thought the movie itself might be something Madison would want to watch.  And sure enough, she did!  So, for "research," we went to Asgard tonight, where Madison saw for the first time the mighty Thor and his companions, and the naughty Loki.  She really enjoyed the movie, completely focused, and frequently asking questions.  Fortunately, Daddy knows pretty much all of it!

We went to bed reading the Bible, and then comic books of course.  And then Mommy and Daddy watched some more of the Olympics.  We were tired, but we kept watching anyway.  Less than a week to go until it's all over, and we've been watching every single day together.

Here's our Olympic-themed devotion for the day, as the Sochi Games slide by:

“A cheerful heart makes you healthy.  But a broken spirit dries you up.” Proverbs 17:22 NIrV

     It’s bobsled time!  The Jamaican bobsled team always has the right attitude – laid back and fun in the sun, even when sliding down the ice.  This year’s team even has theme music, their very own “Bobsled Song,” a tune designed to sync with the actual track at the Sochi Winter Olympics.

     After all the trouble raising money just to get to Sochi, you’d think they would be down. After having so many problems with getting their equipment to Russia, you think they’d be frustrated.  And after coming in second-to-last place, you’d think their spirits would be broken. 

     But the Jamaicans let things slide, don’t they?  They’ve had cool runnings ever since 1988, and all these challenges weren’t going to slow them down.
     “There’s nothing easy in life,” driver Winston Watts said after the big race.  “We just look at this as an obstacle for us and what we do is try to jump across it… just like the River Jordan.”

     If there’s one thing we should learn from the Jamaican Bobsled Team, it’s this:  keep the right attitude.  It can be tough to do, sure.  But when we focus on God and the happy ending we’re all promised, we can go from a chilly heart to a sunny disposition faster than a bobsled zooming down the track, mon!