Propitiation

March 15, 2010.

Outside my window...a grey Monday. It rained all weekend.
I am thinking...so, it's the ides of March. I've never been superstitious. Part of the reason is my culture; Finns just aren't superstitious, unlike Asians. I worked with a Chinese woman who told of a baby born, who wouldn't open its eyes. The parents went through the whole house, until they found a picture that wasn't nailed in properly. They nailed it in and the baby opened its eyes. I said, "Oh, Come On!" It was the most ridiculous thing I'd ever heard.
But I think the main reason I'm not superstitious is because of my faith. I'm a Christian. I know God is in control. So all those times I spilled salt, walked under a ladder, or had a black cat cross my path, I didn't worry. I serve a sovereign God.
I am thankful for...my Mom. She turns 70 this month. We're taking her out for dinner on Saturday. She's relatively healthy and independent, and still his her wits about her. She's a great help to us around the house, doing the laundry, helping with cooking and cleaning, and driving my daughter to school. She's not a meddler so she's easy to live with. Soon she'll have a place in the basement so it'll be even better. The biggest concern I have is for her soul. She's still unsaved. She comes with us to church regularly, and I bought her the Bible in modern Finnish, and she's reading it. She recently said she didn't understand why Christ was crucified. I mentioned it to the Pastor and now he's going through a four part series on different aspects of the cross: propitiation (relating to the altar), justification (relating to a court of law), redemption (relating to the marketplace), and reconciliation (relating to interpersonal relationships). Yesterday, he preached on propitiation. You can hear it at http://www.faith-baptist.ca/ I thought it was quite clear. God is angry and we need a shelter from his wrath and something to satisfy His righteous anger. Jesus' sacrifice on the cross does that. When she got up from the pew, she said, "I didn't understand a thing." I was so let down. Lord, open her eyes.
From the kitchen...pasta with chicken and sausage casserole, fresh baked bread.
I am wearing...jeans, a green sweater, and a beige windbreaker. My neon green windbreaker is SO two years ago.
I am reading...Plague Maker by Tim Downs. He's going to be the main speaker at a writer's conference I'd like to attend this fall, and I wanted to read something he's written, in case I get to meet him.
I am hoping...for good nights at work.
I am hearing...the train. I love it.
Around the house...we've been using the hot tub a lot. Three times this weekend, plus my husband even had his morning coffee in there on Saturday. When we put it just 3 degrees cooler, we find we can stay in longer without feeling faint or nauseous. My youngest daughter had a friend visiting for the weekend. They were on the go the whole time. We had a great time at our tri-annual dinner party with two other couples from our church. The theme was Italian this time.We had a great date on Friday night. The time change is nice because it's not dark when I come to work in the evening, but I felt wiped out all weekend. It's especially hard on my husband who has insomnia. He has to wake up at 5 a.m. for work so this is like 4 a.m. Plus he has stresses from many projects. One good benefit of the hot tub is that it helps him to fall asleep and stay asleep, even if he can't sleep long.
One of my favourite things...attending live soccer games. We're trying to secure tickets to at least one TFC game this summer.
Some plans for the week...work three nights. Have friends over for dinner and a hot tub on Thursday, shop for a prom dress for my youngest daughter on Friday, clean the church on Saturday, take my Mom out for dinner on Saturday evening, church on Sunday (maybe have guests), and prepare to do it all again next week. Yeah, we're busy, but life is good. We have jobs and friends and plenty to do to entertain us, and a place to serve God.