Q. What do elephants and trees have in common?

 A. They both have trunks!  And both (kind of) were a part of a recent weekend trip to Nebraska. 

 A few months ago my (Alex) mom decided it would be a fun fall weekend getaway if the family took a weekend trip to Nebraska City to the Arbor Day Farm.  My mom tends to pick wildly popular and exotic locales for travel destinations.  When Arthur and I found out about this trip we thought a side trip to the Omaha Zoo would be great, especially if we could take our niece with us.  Arthur loves zoos and for the past three years he has been waiting patiently until our niece was old enough to take her to the Omaha Zoo.

On Friday evening my younger brother Arnold and his wife were our house guests since we would drive up together the next day.  We spent the evening chatting and playing Settlers of Cataan.  We got an early start the next morning since Arthur was like a little kid on Christmas morning and was very excited about going to the zoo.  For once on a Saturday morning he popped out of bed early without a single groan.  We started off on our journey which took us through a lot of small rural Kansas and Nebraska roads.  There really isn't a direct route and we even choose a less direct route to avoid football game day traffic around Lincoln.  Arnold and Arthur were in the front seats deep into debate about transubstantiation when I looked up from what I was reading in the back and had a hunch we weren't quite where we were suppose to be.  I checked the car's compass (such a handy device) to confirm we were no longer heading north but west.  We had missed some turn in the road which only turned into a 30 minute detour (This is a relatively minor detour if you have heard about some of Arthur's detours in the past).  Once we got back on track my sister-in-law and I decided to kick the boys and their theological debate to the back seat and we would drive and navigate.  We enjoyed looking at the farmsteads and rolling hills of corn along the highway on such a beautiful fall morning.

When we arrived in Omaha we met my older brother and sister-in-law and their daughter for lunch at The Bohemian Cafe.  It is a family owned Czech restaurant with a lot of atmosphere.  It was early for Saturday lunch so there wasn't a huge crowd.  We poured over the menu of foreign sounding food.  My brother and I who are less adventurous with food both ordered hot beef sandwiches.  Everyone else tried something a little more Czech.  Arthur went with his usual technique- find the one thing on the menu you can't pronounce and order that- and ended up with svickova.  I had to look up what this was exactly on Wikipedia (I try to avoid eating anything that needs research) and found out it is sirloin boiled with cream.  His sides were dumplings and sweet and sour cabbage.  The Czech know comfort food and I felt like curling up to take a nap.

Our next stop, the main event for Saturday, was Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo-- one of the best zoos in the country.  This zoo was the sight of one of Arthur's and my favorite dates.  I was living in Omaha for 4 weeks doing a clinic rotation so he drove up to visit one weekend and we went to the zoo.  One of my favorite memories, besides Arthur trying to figure out how to get a chance to hold my hand the first hour, was when we heard the whistle of the train that runs through the zoo and Arthur who was going to work for another zoo that upcoming summer, turns to me and asks, "What kind of animal makes that sound?"  Through peals of laughter I informed him it was not an exotic animal but a simple train whistle.

This picture was actually taken on our date at the zoo 4 years ago but we didn't take a new version-- we look basically the same, right?

Our crew of 6 adults to 1 child (our niece was probably the most supervised kid at the zoo) head out with map in hand trying to make the most of our zoo viewing experience.  Our first stop was the Desert Dome and Kingdom of the Night exhibits.  In the Australian desert we admired the kookaburras on display.  A running joking in our house starts, "Despite the lack of kookaburras....."  For example, "Despite the lack of kookaburras, it is such a beautiful evening" or "Despite the lack of kookaburras, I had a wonderful day."  (This seems less strange in person than trying to explain it but we are strange people.)  For the first time in our marriage we were able to say, "Because of the plentiful kookaburras I'm having a wonderful time."

Next to the Desert Dome were the siamang gibbons (a type of ape).  Arthur and our niece scampered off to this next stop pretending to be monkeys or gorillas.  It was a classic moment watching a 2 1/2 ft tall 3 year old and a 6'6"  man so excited about seeing animals together that it was difficult to tell which was the child.  Arthur is not afraid to let out his inner child even as a grown man which makes him a lot of fun to be around and why little kids seem to be attracted to him.  The siamangs have a large throat pouch which inflates to the size of a large balloon when they call back and forth.  They are very territorial and a large group had gathered outside their enclosure to watch and listened as they screamed and howled and climbed and swung back and forth.  A lot of times in zoos you enjoy watching the animals sit or walk around but rarely see any "exciting" behavior so this was a treat.

For us it was on to the aquarium.  Here we observed penguins for a while and Arthur kept chuckling to himself, "What absurd creatures."  Next we ventured through the tunnel with the aquarium with sharks, sea turtles, and other fish overhead and on both sides.  This is such a unique way to watch animals, instead of outside looking in being on the inside and looking out.  While I was amazed by this for awhile Arthur wandered on to the jelly fish which seemed to mesmerize him.   He tells a story how he once watched a lava lamp non stop for several hours.  After watching him watch jelly fish I completely believe this.  I'm not sure what it is about jelly fish but they had this effect on all of us-- we just kept staring at their fluid but random movement, rhythmic but without purpose or direction. 

Other stops included the butterfly house and the rain forest which is one of my favorites.  I'm pretty sure the sloth hasn't moved since we visited the zoo 4 years ago.  And while we didn't see the elephant exhibit since it was closed for construction as our title might imply we did see an elephant shrew.  Elephant shrews are unique creatures that are the size of a large rodent with longer legs, huge eyes, and a trunk-like nose.  Our God is truly creative to come up with the elephant shrew.  I marvel at God's creativity when seeing such an array of life at a zoo from penguins to jelly fish to elephant shrews and beyond each is unique.

One of our last stops was the Big Cat Area.  Our niece had been talking about seeing a cheetah all day so it was finally time to look for cheetahs.  We were a little concerned that they might not have cheetahs but figured we could pass another large cat off to a three year old as a cheetah.  (Yes, we were intending to lie to a small child to prevent disappointment).  She saw the tiger and lion and puma and was not fooled.  We thought our best chance was with the leopard since both have spots.  However she knew right away it wasn't a cheetah.  We were amazed since she couldn't read the sign.  Her mom asked how she knew it wasn't a cheetah.  Her response, "No, not a cheetah.  That a leopard.  Cheetah have longer legs."  I'm always amazed what kids pick up on.

After a wonderful day at the zoo it was time to drive on to Nebraska City for the second part of the weekend.  Stay tuned for What do elephants and trees have in common? Part 2.  Omnia Vincit Amor.

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.”

Joyce Kilmer, "Trees," 1914
- See more at: http://www.savatree.com/tree-quotes.html#sthash.rIFimKWP.dpuf

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.”

Joyce Kilmer, "Trees," 1914
- See more at: http://www.savatree.com/tree-quotes.html#sthash.rIFimKWP.dpuf

“I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.”

Joyce Kilmer, "Trees," 1914 - See more at: http://www.savatree.com/tree-quotes.html#sthash.rIFimKWP.dpuf

“I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.”

Joyce Kilmer, "Trees," 1914 - See more at: http://www.savatree.com/tree-quotes.html#sthash.rIFimKWP.dpuf

“I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.”

Joyce Kilmer, "Trees," 1914 - See more at: http://www.savatree.com/tree-quotes.html#sthash.rIFimKWP.dpuf

“I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.”

Joyce Kilmer, "Trees," 1914 - See more at: http://www.savatree.com/tree-quotes.html#sthash.rIFimKWP.dpuf

“I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.”

Joyce Kilmer, "Trees," 1914 - See more at: http://www.savatree.com/tree-quotes.html#sthash.rIFimKWP.dpu

“I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.”

Joyce Kilmer, "Trees," 1914 - See more at: http://www.savatree.com/tree-quotes.html#sthash.rIFimKWP.dpuf

“I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.”

Joyce Kilmer, "Trees," 1914 - See more at: http://www.savatree.com/tree-quotes.html#sthash.rIFimKWP.dpuf

“I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.”

Joyce Kilmer, "Trees," 1914 - See more at: http://www.savatree.com/tree-quotes.html#sthash.rIFimKWP.dpuf

Bumpy

Some days are just a little bumpy.  Not terrible like your-dog-just-died days but there seems to be a bump around every corner.  Today was one of those days but at least there is a happy ending.  One common problem with social media is that everyone can present a version of life that is just a highlight reel and perfect pictures.  Often times our blog is about the highlights of life (there are rarely perfect pictures) so today's blog is just a slice of normal life which can be bumpy at times.

This morning I arrive at work and was putting away my keys in my purse when I realize that my wallet was missing.  There was the sudden adrenaline rush but while also trying to stay calm to think through where it might be.  I had gone shopping yesterday and had it at that time.  I couldn't remember if I had taken it out of my purse to pay bills last night but also didn't want to wait nervously all day wondering.  I decided the first thing I could do was run the 4 flights of stairs back down to my car and there it was lying in the floor of the car.  One big crisis adverted.

At work I was chatting with a patient who was working on her exercises and suddenly she started to vomit.  Thank goodness she was standing right next to the trash can at the time.  One lesson I was taught very early as a young PT student is you clean up messes of whatever kind and do it as an act of service-- most of the time patients do not mean to make a mess and feel badly about it and quick clean up with a good attitude is the best way to handle the situation.  Arthur thinks that this is another reason why working with machines is better- no bodily fluids. 

After work I decided to go on a run since it was beautiful out.  About a block from home I stepped on the edge of the pavement and gutter in the street just right to slightly sprained my ankle.  So much for running. And I limped home.  At least it was only a block and not a mile.

I was just finishing up making supper of crock pot chicken chili and cornbread.  It smelled wonderful and as I was pulling the cornbread out of the oven Arthur got a text message.  "Oh crud.  Alex, we were suppose to be at Bible study 15 minutes ago".   So much for hot cornbread and chili as we rushed to find our Bibles and walk briskly (and gingerly on my ankle) over to church.

Once we got to dinner much later and the cornbread was still slightly warm I was making pumpkin bars for dessert since I had been promising Arthur these for weeks.  Right before hurrying to Bible study I had melted the stick of butter for the crust and left it on the counter where it congealed.  I popped it back in the microwave for 15 seconds and also of a sudden I hear an explosion.  Upon opening the microwave I discovered the a whole stick of liquid butter coating every surface on the inside of this appliance.  I decided to deal with this problem after I finished the dishes and made lunches.  I think the microwave might have a greasy, buttery film until the end of time despite my best effort.  At least the liquid butter had moisturizing effects on my hand that were dry and chapped after washing dishes.

However the day is ending happily with warm pumpkin bars and hanging out with my husband.  Pumpkin bars smooth over a lot of bumps.  I posted the recipe for pumpkin bars a few years ago and they are truly a treat.  Omni Vincit Amor. 

That's an Impressive Man Card

You either are a man or you aren't.  The age of manhood may vary slightly from culture to culture; in some traditions there might even be a checklist of rituals one must perform to attain the status, but in the end, it is still a yes or no proposition.  Manliness, in contrast, exists on a continuum; it is generally recognized that one can be more or less manly depending on their actions or attitudes.

I am proud to announce, that as of yesterday afternoon, my manliness bumped upward.  Yesterday, a highly anticipated package arrived in the mail: my safety razor kit.  The cost savings and claims of better performance had me intrigued, so I took the plunge.  

Serious thought was given to the straight razor, but my CFO (Alex) wouldn't sign off on the purchase. Some sort of argument about how when the product invented to replace another has "safety" in the name, the original was probably not safe.  I would argue that if the high voltages and large machinery I work around daily fall into the "acceptable risk" category, straight razors probably shouldn't be a problem.  But alas, marriage brings many compromises, and I am pretty happy with the purchase I did get approval for.

Safety razor is an apt name: the handle design ensures that the razor makes contact only when the razor is held at a specified angle.  There were many times during my first shave that I found myself holding the razor at too shallow or too deep an angle to have the razor engage.  Should you manage to cut yourself, the small length of exposed razor means you cannot go very deep. 

Safety razors may not do any better job than disposable cartridges making your face smoother (they are certainly not worse), but they definitely have an advantage around the upper lip and (if your beard forms this way) right underneath you ear lobes.  In my experience, cartridges have enough bulk to them that they can't reach where a man's beard usually begins underneath the perpendicular projection of a man's proboscis.  The safety razor is capable of easily reaching these areas.  I have been more satisfied with the finished product of my shaving than I ever have been.

There are of course some accessories to enhance the shaving process.  My next step is to purchase some actual shaving soap, not the foamy stuff that comes in an aerosolized can.  Then I'll be able to use my badger hair shaving brush (speaking of manly, who do you think they get to shave the badger?) to form a rich lather and do work.  This, too, is projected to be cost saving in the long run, with the added bonus of being a more environmentally friendly endeavor.

So anyway, manliness takes many forms.  The dapper James Bond with his tailored suits and impeccable grooming has for years served, for better or worse, as a paradigm of manliness.  Of course, his immaculate ablutions are also tempered with near omnicompetence and the ability to thrash his enemies.  So it is that I, too, will set out for work, well shaved, and those inefficient manufacturing processes best get to cowering in the corner before they find themselves in a world of hurt.  I leave you now with our customary closing that might seems out of keeping with this closing paragraph, Omnia Vincit Amor.

Lost in translation

Everyone knows that communication is important.  There are college classes on written communication, seminars on body language, courses in foreign languages, books about persuading others with your words.  Communication is supposed to be key in marriage, the workplace, relationship, ect.  However "good" communication is important not just words alone in all these situations.  Sometimes just plain communication can actually make the world even more confusing.  I have had several examples of this in the past few weeks so I thought I would share.

- I got a text from a friend asking if I could bring a bag of buns and a package of beats to an Oktoberfest gathering.  I texted back asking if she wanted beets?  Arthur and I both despise beets and I didn't know what they had to do with Oktoberfest.  My other thought was maybe she wanted us to supply music and "beats" was just a code name.  It turned out that our assignment was to bring brats and buns instead of beets.  This sounded much more appetizing.

- Arthur and I were talking about some project around the house and jokingly I meant to say something along the lines of "I such a stupendous housewife" however it came out as "I am such a superfluous housewife".  Arthur looked at me and commented "I don't think that is quite what you mean."

- I have been getting together with several friends frequently this fall and getting ready to invite a few over for our Wednesday night accountability group.  I was running this by Arthur just to confirm that it was okay and told him I was appreciative of his support of me spending time with friends since it takes away from time we spend together.  I then said, "You'll never be as important to me as my friends".  He gave me a puzzled look and said, "I don't think that is quite what you mean."

-While we were dating we were eating at Wendy's and I was enjoying a Frosty.  I said, "I think I like Frosties more that you."  Instead of comparing our degree of liking a Frosty Arthur interpreted it as my degree of liking a Frosty was greater than my degree of liking him.

- As I have mentioned often recently I just got a new computer at work and I have to train the dictation software, Dragon.  I decided to keep a list of some of the slip ups.  Here is a piece of documentation with what Dragon would type.  Below is the actually intended medical documentation.

This patient emulated into the clinic with hurricane.  She apologized for missing her last appointment since she slipped into lake.  She just had an x-ray which showed some decorative changes in her low back.  She is scheduled to have an epidural from Dr. Fathead next week. She has pain with most daily active TVs. She also had a score of 65% impairment on the Oslo Street Lowfat Pain scale.  Past medical history includes Arab vision to her left total need, dislocated sterno clinic killer joint, and emperor from property.  She has an Antartic gait pattern and is unable to a friend in decent stairs. These fleas test was positive for pain. Her strength was ache consulate lower tree.  Treatment at her next visit one crew Maine Law therapy at L4-L5, lower trunk rotations, anchorages.  At the end of the treatment she will have E-stamp amyloids T pectoral.

Sometimes proofreading my work feels like a giant game of Mad Libs. Here's the real version:

This patient ambulated into the clinic with her cane.  She apologized for missing her last appointment since she slept in too late.  She just had an x-ray which showed some degenerative changes in her low back.  She is scheduled to have an epidural from Dr. Fahed next week.  She has pain with most daily activities.  She also had a score of 65% impairment on the Oswestery Low Back Pain Scale.  Past medical history includes a revision to her left total knee, dislocated sternoclavicular joint, and diabetic neuropathy.  She has an antalgic gait pattern and is unable to ascend and descend stairs.  Thessaly's test was positive fore pain.  Her strength was 8 pounds on the left lower extremity.  Treatment at her next visit will include manual therapy at L4-L5, lower trunk rotations, and bridges.  At the end of the treatment she will have e-stim and moist heat packs.

Words alone have little meaning.  If linked together correctly we get rousing speeches, Shakespearean plays, and love letters.  If linked poorly we get chaos and confusion.  And this is all in the same language.  Sometime I will share stories of my attempts to communicate with my Spanish speaking patients with my 100 word vocabulary, with half of those words usually mispronounced.  Omnia Vincit Amor.

3 weeks in 3 minutes

We were on such a blogging roll for awhile, posting on a regular basis and then all of a sudden we fell off the band wagon.  I am frankly blaming it on the beautiful October weather.  It is way too nice to sit inside and blog.  So we haven't.  Deal with it (I'm feeling a little lippy tonight as Arthur says).

If I remember right in one of the last posts I was slightly disgruntled about work or all the tasks that were keeping me from getting work done.  This was further compounded by getting a new computer at work last week.  My love for new technology as also been discussed on recent posts.  For some reason the most important things on my work computer-- my favorite exercises and my dictation files can't be transferred from one to other.  This meant that for a few days all the exercise handouts I gave patients sported lovely stick figure drawings-- I didn't know in college that an intro to drawing class would be useful in my future.  Our dictation software, Dragon, tends to be the bane of my existence.  Being able to dictate does save a lot of time typing but accuracy is significantly altered.  With the new computer I had to train Dragon all over which is quite the process and I'm still working on a lot of fine tuning over a week later.

With all of this going on at work I decided to skip town for a weekend.  Actually not but we did take a Friday off to road trip down to Dallas with my family which was an adventure in itself.  We all were going to Texas to attend my cousin's wedding reception in the US.  He and his South African bride got married in January in the UAE and were finally back in the States for a few days so we could celebrate with them.  We loaded up in Burt, my parents' SUV and headed south.  Our three year old niece was in the back seat and she had been told we were headed to Texas where all the cowboys live.  She was excited about the idea of cowboys and horses.  When we arrived in Texas she wasn't thrilled that there weren't any cowboys or horses to be seen in Dallas rush hour traffic.  You could tell she thought the 8 hour car trip was a crock. The extended family went out to eat at a Tex Mex restaurant and it was a delightful evening.  Catching up with family and eating large amounts of delicious Mexican food was wonderful.

We shared The Whole Enchilada which was a sampling of an array of Mexican food on a ginormous plate-- it was soo good we clean our plate until it sparkled.

 Our niece was still on the lookout for some real cowboys but the waitresses wearing cowboy hats didn't cut either-- they were girls.  Outside of the restaurant they had a few of the mechanical horse that move when you put a quarter in to ride.  Some background information is needed about my somewhat deprived childhood.  Whenever we saw these mechanical horses outside of Wal-Mart my parents would let us sit on them but we never knew they actually moved.  On one fateful day when I was about 5 or 6 we walked up to a store and saw a kid riding on one of these horses and it was moving.  My brothers and I were in shock and the jig was finally up.  Keeping that in mind my same parents have transformed into completely different people-- grandparents.  "Pops" (my dad) was able to come up with a handful of quarters and even my aunts decided quarters was a small investment to watch a child's joy riding horse wearing her cowgirl vest and hat-- these are not the same people from my childhood at all.  This three year old was not fooled though.  It couldn't be Texas since these weren't real horses.  The next day we all went to see more "horses", the Mustangs at Las Colinas.  This is a series of horse statues and fountains outside of some office buildings.  Once again pretty cool but citified horses. That evening we headed to the party which was hosted by a couple that my cousin met in the UAE who now lived in Dallas.  The party was a their beautiful home in the Dallas suburbs and it was a gorgeous clear September evening.  It was a great weekend for sitting around and sharing with family.  In fact at home point Arthur and another cousin sat for about 2 hours at a table in the backyard in almost complete darkness discussing who knows what but happy as clams.  The next day on our drive back I was backseat buddies with my niece.  I think Texas was still a little bit of a disappointment to her since Dallas didn't have the cowboys (real ones, not a football team) as promised.  However when she found out we were headed back to Kansas she wanted to turn around and go back to the hotel to play. 

They say a picture is worth a thousand words but I wonder how many words it would be worth if I could share how wonderful this smelled.

On a completely different note, I have another kitchen adventure to report on.  I made yeast bread.  At the State Fair I picked up the Kansas Wheat Commission cookbook and decided I would try bread.  Arthur is the one in the family who decided we needed a bread pan on our wedding registry-- I had never used on for my limited baking.  I chose a Golden Apple and Cheddar Challah.  I had no idea what a challah was-- and actually still didn't until I googled it moments ago.  I was drawn to the recipe because of the picture in the book.  It was beautifully braided loaf.  My philosophy in the kitchen is that grand presentation can cover up a mediocre taste.  I'm more of an artist than a cook at heart anyway.  Amazingly on my first try everything seemed to rise appropriately.  Just smelling fresh bread baking throughout the house was enough to convince me to make bread more often, or at least for a second time.  I pulled the final product from the oven and I was pretty impressed.  Arthur and I sat down and ate about half a loaf at once.  One of the best pleasures in life is eating warm, oven fresh bread.  Omnia Vincit Amor.

Masterpiece

This Saturday morning we were awaken at 6:15am by a phone call.  I jumped out of bed because any phone calls early in the morning before the sun usually means it's something of importance.  It ended up being my older brother calling just to tell me he was driving by the exit to our town on the Interstate.  I'm too little to beat him up but next time I see him in person I'm going to have Arthur rough him up a bit for waking us up on a Saturday morning when we could blissfully sleep as long as we wanted.  The other problem was that we had stayed up until midnight on Friday which is very rare for us.  I had been at a Pinterest party with several friends and while crafting time just kind of slips away and all of a sudden it was time to head home so my husband wouldn't worry.  At our party we had snacks and spent the evening painting blank canvases with ideas from Pinterest.  I had decided to paint a piece of art for our bathroom so I consulted Arthur on if he had any opinion on the verse I used.  He selected Ephesians 2:10-- For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.  A few translations use the word "masterpiece" instead of workmanship.  I decided to use the phrase "We are God's Masterpiece" on my canvas.  At the party we started pouring paint to make the first coat.  I wanted something to match the colors in our bathroom-- browns, sage greens, slate blues-- and the colors of paints my friends had were all bright colors-- pinks, purples, aquas, lime greens-- so it became obvious I would have to pull out my inner Bob Ross to mix the right color.  During this process it looked like my color was going to be a disaster, a lost cause, and I should cut my losses and start over.  However it actually turned out to be the perfect shade that I wanted when it was all said and done, jut very muted compared the color explosion on all the other canvases.  Next was the tough part for me, creating the design.  My best art is usually done looking at a picture and I can get pretty close to creating a similar representation but when given something blank and having to create my own I am lost.  So I decided to eat some snack and hope for inspiration.  After a few helpings of little smokies and chips and dip I dove in without much of a plan.  I don't claim to be a creative person, and I am very thankful my job or career does not depend on my creative juices on a daily basis.  However on occasion it is freeing and relaxing to sit down and create or work with your hands on a special project.  Watching an idea in your mind take shape into something tangible that you can share with someone else whether this be art work, music, writing, etc.  Here's my finished product from the evening:

This verse has come up in my life a few times this week which usually means I need to take closer look at it.  Also I found carefully painting words makes you think about them and meditate on them over and over.  To give a little more context here is Ephesians 2:8-10

 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,  not a result of works, so that no one may boast.  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.    (ESV)

As readers of this blog you are probably tired of hearing about workmanship but here it is again.  The picture of God as a master craftsman.  He is the potter and we are the clay, he is the silversmith and we are the silver that needs a refining fire to remove impurities.  Jesus was a carpenter.  God is the ultimate Creator.

  First I wanted to look at the definition for masterpiece-- I love definitions of words and I don't know why.  Masterpiece is defined as a work done with extraordinary skill; a piece that is considered the greatest work of a person's career like a magnum opus.  When I reflect on God's natural creation I am in awe.  However the natural creation- sunsets, starry nights, oceans, mountains with their all their beauty and majesty- is not His defining work.  We are.  However this is speaking about much more than a physical creation but a spiritual creation such as in 2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

In verse 8 and 9 of Ephesians 2 we are reminded that our salvation is not because of anything we have done but by faith in Christ and what He did.  Furthermore, we do not make ourselves into "masterpieces" but it is God's work in us.  If you were to go to Europe and view Michelangelo's David or de Vinci's Mona Lisa, you don't give credit for being a masterpiece to the stone or paint but to the artist, the one who can make stone like flesh and paints take on life.  In the same way, if we are God's masterpiece, what people see in us should bring them to give the glory and honor to God, the artist, not the art itself which did nothing in the process.  However this process, sanctification, is still taking shape as the Artist has made the final brush strokes yet.   (The following was one of my favorite "church songs".  I like that we could sing about planets in church since at a young age that made more since than being washed in a fountain of blood and as a child there is a hankering to continue growing so it's nice to know God's still at work and I won't be small forever.)

He's still working on me 

To make me what I need to be 

It took him just a week to make the moon and stars 

The sun and the earth and Jupiter and Mars 

How loving and patient He must be 

'Cause He's still workin' on me 

There really ought to be a sign upon my heart 

Don't judge him yet, there's an unfinished part 

But I'll be better just according to His plan 

Fashioned by the Master's loving hands 

In the mirror of His word Reflections that I see 

Makes me wonder why He never gave up on me 

But He loves me as I am and helps me when I pray 

Remember He's the potter, I'm the clay

In verse 10 it says, "We are God's workmanship or masterpiece."  I find it interesting that in the previous verses (Eph 2:8-9) the pronoun "you" is used and then verse 10 it becomes the plural pronoun, "we".  God's masterpiece is not us individually but his children or church as a whole.   Verse 10 then goes on to the second half,  "created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."  The purpose we are created for is good works.  Once again, distinctly different from verses 8 and 9 where it states that we are not saved through our good works.  Faith and good works seems paradoxical but in Charles Sprugeon's sermon on this passage he says, "Faith doesn't come from good works, the fruit of a saving faith is good works."  Good works are God's intention for us as new creations.  However we are not doing good works for God, but God is performing His work in and through his believers.  Naturally we have no capacity or inclination towards good works on our own but in Christ he has made us new for this purpose.  He has laid out a path of good works in front of us and we are called to walk that path.  This is our personal choice to follow this path.  The term "walk" also denotes more than existing in one place but advancing forward His kingdom. 

 In an orchestra or symphony a single instrument may play glorious music but when the entire ensemble plays together the music is deeper and richer.  This is why God's masterpiece is not an individual but His chosen people.  We don't do good works for God but we are the tools or instruments he uses on a grander scale.  And finally the Creator has a design, blueprint, or musical score in which He has give each of us a specific role and purpose so he isn't scrambling to find a part for you to play.  Each of us has an important part to play.  Our good works are not just something we might do if we have some free time here or there but our calling and vocation from God.  

So each morning getting ready in front of the bathroom mirror hopefully this verse painted by unskilled human hands will reminded us that we are true masterpieces, God's greatest work.  And throughout that day what we do will reflect glory and honor of the Artist. Omnia Vincit Amor.