I am Tammy Cardwell, she of the cluttered desk. (Hey, you think I'm kidding?!) I'm having a blast here in Blogland and invite to you to peruse my ramblings. Like a buffet, they offer variety - essentially whatever makes it to the top of the piles that sometimes clutter my brain. We'll eventually cover it all - homeschooling, God, our church, the Eclectic Homeschool Online, books I'm writing and publishing, conferences I speak at, the joys of grandmotherhood, and hopefully chocolate. Of course, this is only what's near the top now. Who knows what's in those piles?
From a Cluttered Desk
October 30, 2007
The Promised Pictures
Well, at least there are a couple here. I literally walk out the door in a few minutes.
This one shows the filled forms. You can see our signed-off building permit hanging on the front of the building (under the shovel handle) and, oh yes, you can see my wonderful oldest son, waiting for the next wheel barrow load of cement. My new office will essentially be over the two beams closest to the photographer, and the entry, a tool closet, and the front porch on the other side. You can see where they’ve framed in the original door; just the other side of it is my pantry, which is already framed in, and then the kitchen, also framed in. As you can see, if you look behind Thomas, we have a huge back yard. When we get rid of the big house and are living in this little one, our side yard really will be enormous.
This one gives you a better look at the foundation forms and Thomas (Okay, so profile shots aren’t all that revealing. LOL!) as well as the back part of the "good" end of our house, most of our waiting lumber, our driveway and, off in the distance, the cement truck. Oh, and beside the lumber you’ll see the pump we used to get the water out of holes in the ground.
That’s all I’ve got time for today. Maybe more later. God bless!
Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C
October 28, 2007
We have a foundation!
I really should have written this weekend, but I kept hoping for the promised pictures. Jack took several, but hasn’t given them to me yet. Hopefully I’ll have some to share soon.
We have foundation beams at last! The forms were finished Thursday night, we got the inspection on Friday morning, and we poured concrete Friday afternoon. Had our contractor not had something unavoidable come up, we’d have started framing the addition on Saturday.
This is a huge emotional boost to me after seeing rain throw this part of the plan behind week after week after month. I’m actually going out of town Thursday through Sunday. They’re supposed to work on the house while I’m gone and I’m really hoping to return home to some serious progress.
hope hope hope
Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C
October 26, 2007
The Golden Compass Revisited
After posting my notes about The Golden Compass yesterday, I received the following from a friend today and she gave me permission to share it here. It seemed best to share the thoughts of someone who has actually read the first two books. (Which I, obviously, have not.)
I don’t know if it’s actually "anti-Christian" so much as "anti-Catholic Church". I don’t know for certain because I’ve only read the first two books so far. I’d heard really good things about them over the past couple of years (general, "you shoud read these" recommendations from various places, including an acquaintance who likes good, edgy young adult fiction, and who I think of as a pretty conservative Christian guy), so I put them on my wish list and got them for Christmas a couple of years ago from my brother. I finally got to the first book early this year, and I did like The Golden Compass quite a bit, even though I wasn’t taken by Pullman’s prose, especially much of his dialog, which I found to be very simplistic and uninspired. You do sort of expect simplistic writing with some children’s/young adult books, but the odd thing about the two books I’ve read were that while they fit into the typical young adult dark fantasy genre with the young protagonist(s) undertaking an adventurous quest and overcoming various obstacles, there are really more disturbing, adult plot themes, like the tyranical, all-powerful "Church" who is more powerful than the government of the world, which is an Earth parallel (think Spanish Inquisition-era Catholic Church and you’re probably not far wrong), and the sinister things going on that involve the Church and children (among other things). But being an adult, I didn’t really find it all that shocking, just kind of odd, and I decided that all in all it was a pretty good story with some cool things going for it, and the only reason I didn’t move right on to the next book was because of the quality of the prose, or lack thereof, IMO.<br>
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But I did pick up The Subtle Knife a few months later, and *that’s* where I started going, "huh?" as I was reading. I mean, it started out all right, introducing a new protagonist this time… a boy in present-day England. Will meets up with Lyra, the protagonist from the first book, by way of this little doorway–one of several that that connect to parallel worlds, and together they try to solve the problems presented in that book… which are even kind of more bizarre than the first book. Just as an example, one of the disturbing things that happen involves the knife mentioned in the title. This knife apparently "chooses" who is to wield it by cutting off two fingers of the one it chooses, which is what happens to Will. And then, the wound won’t heal until he finds the one person who amazingly has some special ointment. And that person turns out to be his father, who he’s been searching for throughout the book, because had disappeared right after Will was born, and who it turns out happened across one of those parallel world doorways into Lyra’s world and then couldn’t find his way back to Earth. By the time Will and his father run into each other at the end of the story, they only have enough time for him to cure Will’s hand, and explain that the knife is to be used by Will in a war against God, and then his father is killed by another character for this really ridiculous reason. By this point, I was really just kind of dumbfounded over how bizarre the story had gotten, and I really had no desire to pick up the third book anytime soon.
So, now you have even more information.
Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C
The River Part 2
Several weeks after God showed me what He did in Ezekiel 47, He brought me back to the river again. He asked me, "Do you remember Jesus sayign that rivers of living water would flow out of your innermost being?" That’s in John 7:38, and yes, I did remember. Our conversation went on for quite a while. I’ll save you the details, but I’ll do my best to sum it up clearly.
As I understand it, these living waters and the living waters of Ezekiel’s river are the same, the Holy Spirit. In fact, it seems to me that they flow from the Temple (the Church) through us. I almost feel nervous saying it, because I’m not a theologian, but it certainly makes sense. After all, we are God’s representatives on this earth.
So, assuming I’m right, not only is the harvest dependent on every single one of us (Me, not just "them") being active fishers of men, but it also depends on each and every one of us, as individuals, striving to be that wellspring, that point through which the life-giving river flows. I want those around me to live, to truly live, and I cannot simply hope that God will provide a way for it to happen: I must do whatever it takes to ensure that the river of life, those living waters, flow freely and continuously through me.
How do I do that? Most of us think of rivers as irresistible, free-flowing forces, but they’re really not. Many rivers have dried up over time. Others have been damed by either nature or man until they’re much less powerful rivers (or less) topped by still lakes or ponds. This is not an irresistible force we’re talking about here. I control how well, or even if, those rivers of water flow from my innermost being, how freely the Holy Spirit flows in my life.
It’s about relationship and all that relationship entails. We need to be in the Word (John 1:1) and we need to fellowship with God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As I was reminded recently, the Holy Spirit isn’t an "it." The Holy Spirit is a being, and that being desires our fellowship. If the Holy Spirit is to flow freely through us, He must first move freely in us, and that definitely requires relationship. We all know the importance of that special fellowship time called prayer, but do we really know how important it is? And I’m talking true fellowship prayer here, not gimme gimme. (Who wants to hang out with people who are all about their own needs and wants?) And yes, it being the Holy Spirit we’re talking about, I personally believe that for a truly free flow of that river we should pray in tongues as well as with our understanding, that we should pray in tongues a lot.
So, again, it’s back to me. I am the one responsible for making sure my part of that river flows freely and I am responsible for reaching out to those who are reaching out to God.
Oh… And here’s something else God showed me, not quite on topic, but related. For some time, I’ve felt that one meaning of "goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life" (Psalm 23:6) is that we leave a mark as we pass through life. If you’ve ever sat in a room where someone has been who was wearing strong perfume, you probably know what I mean; even when they leave the scent lingers for a time. It does go away after a bit, but it "follows" them. Now I think perhaps the Holy Spirit is the same in a sense. Just as a man who has just come out of a pool leaves wet footprints on the floor, so do I think we who are actively permitting the Holy Spirit to flow through us leave "wet footprints."
May you leave a trail of wet footprints as you walk in His way!
Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C
The River Part 1
Recent months have seen me praying quite a bit about the spiritual condition of those of us who live in the US. Frankly, what I see in the world around me seems to indicate that, taken as a whole, the United States is far too close to being spiritual dead. Mind, I’m not saying there aren’t some very alive individuals and churches; I’m talking about the whole.
I’m talking about a country where, numerically speaking, Christianity hasn’t grown in decades. I’m talking about a country where obscenities are a part of everyday life; where divorce is common; where homosexuality and abortion are accepted; where the news is continually filled with murder, rape, arson, child molestation, and more; where our social icons (talking Hollywood here) seem to tend to stand specifically for things that are ungodly… Yeah, I’ve been concerned.
And then I reached Ezekiel 47 in my daily reading. This is the chapter in which Ezekiel is shown the water flowing out of the Temple and he follows the flow until it has become a river. And then, in verses 8-10 (NLT)…
Then he said to me, "This river flows east through the desert into the Jordan Valley, where it enters the Dead Sea. The waters of this stream will heal the salty waters of the Dead Sea and make them fresh and pure.Everything that touches the water of this river will live. Fish will abound in the Dead Sea, for its waters will be healed. Wherever this water flows, everything will live. Fishermen will stand along the shores of the Dead Sea, fishing all the way from En-gedi to En-eglaim. The shores will be covered with nets drying in the sun. Fish of every kind will fill the Dead Sea, just as they fill the Mediterranean.
I’ve read this passage before, but this time it spoke to me in a new way. I sensed God telling me that yes, spiritually speaking, the US is very much like the Dead Sea, but that just as there is hope for the Dead Sea in Ezekiel’s vision there is hope for America today. The Holy Spirit, the river, brings life powerful enough to restore even the Dead Sea waters of the United States.
Jesus told His disciples that He would make them "fishers of men," and the Holy Spirit reminded me of this. We are the fishermen that will line the shores. We are the ones responsible for leading to Christ those who are searching. It’s our job and we must be ready, always, to do it. This passage says the fish will fill the Dead Sea just as they do the Mediterranean and that means there will be a huge need for fishermen; not one of us can be a slacker.
In Luke 10:2, Jesus said, "The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth laborers into his harvest." This is our prayer; it must be. And as responsible Christians, we must realize this: we’re not merely to be saying, "Lord, send some people to do the work," meaning other people. We are also to be praying, Lord, send me."
So I am reassured that there is still hope for America and I am adjured to be ready to do my share of the work.
Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C
October 25, 2007
The Golden Compass = Poisoned Candy?
I really hate it when I see a trailer for what looks like it will be a super movie and then find out that it’s…not.
I got an email today that sent me to this page at Snopes.com. (In case you don’t know Snopes, it’s my go-to place for checking out all those emails that fly around the ‘net.)
http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/compass.asp
The short story is that though this movie, in itself, might be perfectly "fine," the book series it is based on is apparently far from it where Christians are concerned. Those who are putting out warnings about the movie are concerned that parents will take their kids to what ends up being a "nice, safe fantasy," decide to let said kids read the books, and… Right…potentially worse than literal poisoned candy, eternally speaking.
The kicker, for me, is a 2003 quote from author Phillip Pullman.
"My books are about killing God."
The movie may be fantastic and even appear "perfectly safe," but this gal isn’t likely to head in that direction.
Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C
October 23, 2007
Because I Said So
I just posted a new link in my blogroll. It’s to Because I Said So, which is the blog of the mom-of-6 who posted the Pokemon card eBay auction. If you didn’t have a chance to see that auction, well, I’m sorry for you because it was rofl hysterical. Her daily blog posts can be equally hysterical, so much so that she now has tens of thousands of readers every day, multiple publishers wanting her to write a book (and an agent to help her choose), producers wanting her to write a sitcom, and the national media after her on pretty much a weekly basis. In short, even when I disagree with what she has to say, her words are a great shot of humor on any day.
Celebrating Jesus
Tammy C
October 22, 2007
A Cold Front!
Oh MAN this WEATHER!
Well, I could do without the rain the cold front brought with it, but the chilly, blustery wind feels so much like fall that it’s awesome. Fall is, without a doubt, my favorite season. Of course, in south Texas it usually only lasts about three days (sarcasm alert), but while it’s here I love it. It’s cold enough, but not too cold, and there’s that special scent in the air. The wonderful aroma of long-unused fireplaces suddenly serving their true purpose eclipses the tang of chemical pollution and can almost make one feel like a kid again.
And on top of that, last night our church choir recorded two songs for a Christmas CD we’ll be producing this year. We may have been sweating…uh…perspiring…when we did it, but in retrospect the timing is really cool. (er… no pun intended…honest!)
Hm…. Wonder if it’s too early to pull out my White Christmas DVD.
Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C
October 20, 2007
Eight Inches of Progress
We’re moving on up!
Yeah, I had to say it. [snort]
They got the building jacked up today. They took it up one block, which is 8" ("Plus or minus" as Jack says). It’s still not totally level. I’m thinking they said they need to bring one area up 3/4" and they plan to do that tomorrow afternoon.
The forms are still not set, so we can’t call for an inspection on Monday like we’d planned/hoped. The odds of the forms getting set before Tuesday evening are slim to none, too, given the church schedule we have this week. Even so, I’m pleased with the progress that did get made today.
And this evening we celebrated by going to a coffee shop a few towns over to hear Good Company play. It was great and they seemed to genuinely appreciate having us there. I also had our little construction crew playing Good Company’s CD while they worked today and Jack said it wasn’t long before the contractor was singing along with it. hehe… There ain’t nothin’ like exposin’ people to good music.
Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C
October 18, 2007
Dare I Uncross My Fingers?
Maybe?
We made a little more progress last week and at this point there are signs of hope that we will clear a major hurdle in the next few days. Honestly, I’m almost nervous mentioning it. I have a feeling that Murphy person is hiding in the bushes.
I know. Have faith, Tammy. God really does have it all under control.
Starting last weekend, we’ve brought on a new person. He’s a young man who works with Thomas and he has a clue, bless God. We’re hiring him to come over on Fridays and Saturdays until whenever and he’ll help Jack or Jack and Thomas or Jack and Thomas and the contractor do whatever needs doing. We’re hoping this will help us make real progress even when the contractor isn’t available. It definitely helped last weekend.
Last weekend they reformed the foundation holes yet again (Does anyone remember how many times this makes?) after (yet again) pumping out the water that was standing in them. They dropped the forms in, and they tied the steel together so that it can be dropped into the forms when we’re ready for it.
This weekend’s plans involve jacking up the existing building and leveling it at one block higher than it is now, setting the forms properly in accord with the existing building, dropping in the steel, and calling for a first-thing-Monday-morning inspection that we hope will be followed by a Monday evening, or perhaps Tuesday, concrete pour.
All of this, of course, depends on the weather. I cannot tell you how it hurts me, sometimes, to hear prayer requests from people in other parts of the country who are suffering greatly (And are even in danger of fire) due to a lack of rain when it seems we’ve gotten nothing but rain for the past six months or so. You’d better believe I’ve been asking God to take some of ours and send it their way.
I REALLY look forward to the day when I’m in my new home and I can enjoy rain again. The sound of rain used to be one of the most pleasant things in the world and napping on rainy days one of my favorite activities. Right now, I’m not sure I remember when I last enjoyed rain like that. I know it’s been years.
Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C