Friday, March 7, 2008

Family Ski Day


Grace and Eli


Levi and Marty at the end of the day.

On our last day at Vail, Marty and I skied with all the kids except Zeke. It was a very cold, windy day. This was Levi's first time to ski with the family. His ski lessons have been paying off. He skied very well. Eli and Emma snow boarded. They are both pretty good. Grace skied. She is very good as well.


We all can't wait to get home to balmy Minnesota. The Weather Channel has been reporting Minnesota temps in the 50s this past week. :)

11 comments:

Jenny said...

Nuh. Uh. A big fat 4.6 degrees outside right now. Have fun coming home!

Unknown said...

Oh yes, I added a little zero to that 5.

Krysty said...

They look like pros! What great memories for them.

tiffany said...

Wow! Looks like fun! I hope what you say about 50 degrees is true. These winter blahs are still lingering...

Anonymous said...

Kind of slow here on the Button blogs. Welcome home.
Don't you have something to say about Eliot Spitzer?
People in glass houses shouldn't throw stuff...or something along those lines from the Bible?
And what's with his wife standing stoically by his side?
Oh, the news of the world....start something up so Jenna and I can debate - although on this one I bet we would both agree the $4000 he spent could have been better spent....think of how many women in need he could have helped, instead of helping his "needs" with some woman.
Beth

Unknown said...

Wow. We hold the same view on something for once!
Jenna might even be more virulent than you on this one.

External righteousness without internal purity results in glass houses. I've been working my way through the Gospels since the new year. It seems as if Christ was saying this all the time and in various ways to the lawyers, religious leaders and crowds. Not many people understood. I think, like Eliot, it is much easier to try to dance on both sides than give up what the heart really loves, itself.

I've wondered why a woman, or man, would stand by their man at at time like that. Certainly, if in private, there has been repentance on his part, forgiveness on hers, then her external actions of standing stoically by his side would match the internal state of her heart on this matter. It would be a beautiful testimony to grace, forgiveness and the Gospel. Otherwise, it might be a self-preserving measure. I wasn't present in the private chambers of the Clinton household some years back, but I estimated that Hillary's "standing stoically by his side" was more of a self-preserving, political move than a testimony of grace and forgiveness. I would hope otherwise.

And finally, $4000 could go a long way in the right hands. Pastor Piper says that God makes us wealthy so we can give our money away. It helps reveal the internal state of our heart. “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. Mt 6:24

Anonymous said...

The thing that makes me even more sad is I thought Eliot was someone of moral standing. I am always so surprised when such self-righteous people fall/fail.
I guess we really have no true way of knowing someone's internal purity, but geez, for some reason this one really shocked me.
As far as Hillary, it's easy to know why she stood by her man, future power. I don't begrudge her that - I really don't. Make lemonade....
I like that you included "man" in your stand-by-your-man - how very liberal of you Joel! Am I rubbing off on you?
Anyway, thanks for the insights. I wish I had $4000 to give away, I'd take some of the cash and buy you a cup of coffee.
Hi to Martha.
B

Unknown said...

"There are none righteous, no not one"

"There is a way that seems right to a man, but the end thereof is destruction"

"THe heart is deceitful and desperately wicked; who can know it?"

"Falling" people should never surprise us. The ones that don't fall, should. I think many Christians have come to terms with the possibility that even great Christian leaders might fall.

There is only one person who has never nor will ever fall; only one whose righteousness is so complete that our falls can be rescued because of him.

Maybe Spitzer, maybe Hillary trust in his righteousness for their own benefit?

Jenna said...

dang. i left a great comment and then internet died.

Beth,
1. way to start up discussion without joel actually posting anything new. seriously. nice work.

2. want a piece of this? bring it.

joel, beth, whoever...
re: spitzer

I have a little bit of hope for him now that his depravity has been exposed. He could have gotten away with it, maybe even decided never to do it again. And he could have done everything right for the rest of his life. But, he'd still have no advocate when he died and had to face God. Maybe, just maybe, this will somehow lead him to Jesus, the righteous.

peace to you both,
jenna

Anonymous said...

Spitzer is Jewish - I doubt he is going to "find" Jesus. It's a thought though, but most probably he is going to hell in a hand basket.

Unknown said...

I'm going out on a ledge here...
As a Christian, I have been grafted in to Judaism.
But, as Paul says in Romans, the Jews in general have rejected the Messiah, Christ. They misunderstood the purpose of the law: to expose the sinfulness of our hearts and reveal God's grace through One who would fulfill the entire law.
But, later Paul indicates that in some way, at some time, for the glory of God, the Jews will come to see Christ as the Messiah.

So, Spitzer may not find Jesus, but God may just find Spitzer.