March Madness & Celebrations

A supportive guy, VERY relieved 3/31/06 surgery is over!

Originally "penned" March 2013

and edited March 2015

     Easter and springtime are life-giving celebrations. Both of my children were born during the Easter season (one on Easter). AND, on April 1, 2006, I awoke. Free. A virulent poison was removed. April Fool's, cancer.


     I'll never forget people's special acts of kindness and love. The [long-time special friends'] group prayer at my home, Rebecca's gift cards for food, and Nevelle's personally-delivered plant. They kept me grounded to life, to fight, for the people I love. They encouraged me to press through months of pain and chemo. I wanted to live, for future life events like weddings, grandbabies, and more. 

Nostalgic arrangement from my sister-in-law

     The pictured vase and sheep have a special story. Mom owned them when she was alive, and it was passed on to my Chicago Sister-in-law. She secretly mailed them both to my son with money to buy the roses. When I arrived home from the hospital, the deja-vu, nostalgic arrangement on my dinette table temporarily jarred and uplifted me, with the endearing note: I hope this arrangement helps you feel like your Mom is cheering you on from heaven. Priceless!!

     I celebrate many new-life, springtime things, including 9 years of freedom. My 2.5-hour-long double mastectomy removing stage 2, grade 3, her2 neu, aggressive cancer occurred during 2006 March Madness. Each year as we watch hours of televised games, an inescapable reminder glares at me... of my personal March Madness. Months of painful recuperation, sickening chemo treatments, degrading hair loss and baldness, extended chemo fog, and then Tamoxifen meds slamming my body and emotions into 1,000-mph cray-cray menopause. All MAD! I stand on the other side of all of that, gratefully embracing my BS and MM degrees.


First stomach-turning chemo treatment

     I experience new life in a distinctive way and cherish family get-togethers, adventures to the Sears Tower and Chicago land in general, grandchild encounters, special friend activities, crafting encounters, movies, dates and nature adventures with my husband, and holidays... especially Easter!

Degrading balding & cray-cray menopause
mega-zappers to self-esteem

     Jesus is risen, and I, too, can each day live the resurrected life. I feel the Hunger Games competitiveness of everyday life, but it is coupled with a forever perspective. I seek helpful Reinforcement when I waiver, attempting to do what is just and right, including handling painful blows to my mid-50's identity. My senses are awake to a dynamic world. But tip-toeing so near to death's reality makes me ever-mindful of my final destination.

     IF I had been defeated on this earth, I know I would reside in a forever perfect place. That would be ideal. But instead, this world is still my home, and it is indeed very good.

THE BIBLE: Double-Agent Judas Iscariot

Floater Judas' betrayal kiss

    
     I am anything but a theologian. I have read through the One Year Bible numerous times, have attended church regularly for over 30 years, and I have watched The Passion of the Christ and other Bible movies.

     As I reflect on Judas Iscariot, a person who walked with Jesus, and daily heard His many teachings... how could he have been so wrong? 

     I see Judas as a double-agent or floater... he is part of two main "camps." He is: 1) a Zealot, and 2) one who associates closely with Jesus as one of His disciples. Jesus clearly fails to meet Judas' expectations; Jesus is supposed to overthrow the Roman government.

     Judas has a distorted lens. He identifies with both Jewish Zealots and Jesus; and, he colludes with High Priest Caiaphas. Maybe he is trying to force Jesus to "play the Kingdom card."

     My teacher husband (also not a theologian) explains to me the beliefs of Calvinism (including pre-destination, see blue below), which differs from our beliefs, and other prominent positions. We turn to Wikipedia for this complex table (too complex for me!):

Prominent Protestant Beliefs on Salvation

Topic	Calvinism	Lutheranism	Arminianism
Human will	Total Depravity without free will permanently due to divine sovereignty	Total Depravity without free will until spiritual regeneration	Depravity does not prevent free will
Election	Unconditional election to salvation with those outside the elect foreordained to damnation (double-predestination)[35]	Unconditional predestination to salvation for the elect	Conditional election in view of foreseen faith or unbelief
Justification	Justification is limited to those predestined to salvation, completed at Christ's death	Justification by faith alone, completed at Christ's death.	Justification made possible for all through Christ's death, but only completed upon choosing faith in Jesus
Conversion	Monergistic, through the inner calling of the Holy Spirit, irresistible	Monergistic, through the means of grace, resistible	Synergistic, resistible due to the common grace of free will
Preservation and apostasy	Perseverance of the saints: the eternally elect in Christ will necessarily persevere in faith	Falling away is possible, but God gives assurance of preservation.	Preservation is conditional upon continued faith in Christ; with the possibility of a final apostasy.

    
      Was Judas pre-destined to be the betrayer? I know he was an independent thinker. He bought into the angry-zealot role rather than Jesus' teachings on the power of love. In his thirst for notoriety, he became a Caiaphas-puppet with a Pinocchio-distorted face protrusion. THE BIBLE's dark, sneaky portrayal is excellent, revealing a short-sighted, striving, selfish treasurer.

     Caution! This paragraph and the next contain deep, speculative ideas that turn "Daisy Downer": I wonder if Judas had a heightened, egocentric, unfulfilled "purpose-thirsty" filter that propelled his notable suicide? Maybe he was crying out...   "I sooo cared!! I was trying to free the Jews!! I was never appreciated!! I will demonstrate my pain, for everyone to see!!!"    ...disillusioned, tunnel-vision statements that scream angry, hopeless...

                                                               I, I, I's.

        My response to Judas is complex sorrow. Complex because of his duplicitous betrayal of Jesus; sorrow because he was an emotionally-tortured soul. Why didn't he instead valiantly die, attempting to save Jesus? Instead, he brazenly chose the theatrical statement of suicide; the ultimate display of control, anger and escape. 

       For those left behind, suicide creates unimaginable and sometimes inextinguishable guilt, grief, as well as so many unanswered questions.

THE BIBLE: Marchen Madness

     For visualization purposes, imagine with me benevolent Mother Teresa, noble Nelson Mandela, the gentle Pope, resolute Abe Lincoln, parable-genius C.S. Lewis, virtuous Billy Graham, and yes, maybe even the dry humor of a "clean" comedian with the belly laugh of a child... all wrapped into one person. Now multiply that conglomeration by... more, and that would only begin to reveal Jesus, the most perfectly amazing Being ever to walk this earth.

     How could a movie ever encapsulate God's one and only... perfect... Son? To even try is like marchen madness! THE BIBLE's directors' and creators' attempt is laudable, and their choice of actor is admirable, but they could never reveal every aspect of my multi-faceted Savior.

     I am surprised that they omit Jesus' first miracle, turning water into wine at a wedding celebration. I do commend their interpretations of His merciful encounters with tearful tax collector Matthew and the woman caught in adultery. I applaud their depiction of the Last Supper and their believable interpretation of the way by which Jesus received revelations of: His betrayal by Judas, denials by Peter, and His death on the cross.

     The movie The Bible is sold at many stores, including Target. Beware: The Crucifixion portion is rated PG-13, for graphic violence. The Good Friday story, which occurred over 2,000 years ago, did contain prophesied, MAD, unrequited, virulent violence.
   

THE BIBLE: TEETH-Gnashing & Tongue-Lashing

Theatrical Caiaphas gnashes teeth & rips garments yelling "Blasphemy" at Jesus

     Political Caiaphas is a masterful juggler, strategist, Roman puppet, and High Priest of the Jewish people and Jesus. Unfortunately, his human strategy is flawed. He lacks John's desert baptism to clearly see Truth. He regularly performs services to worship God, but when face-to-face with Jesus, rather than worshipping the Son of God, clueless Caiaphas harshly chastises.

    The History Channel's THE BIBLE portrayal of Caiaphas includes depth and perspective. I appreciate the historical facts that preface many of the scenes, with information about Roman dominance and past, failed Jewish uprisings. Caiaphas' fear of his people's renewed uprisings looms and is a valid concern.


A tongue-lashing that goes beyond smarmy

     To insure his continued pampered position, Caiaphas "wagers" a trifecta of backyard "bets" to: 1) corral trouble-stirring, donkey-riding Jesus, especially during the Holy Week of Passover; 2) stop the Jews from uprising, lest they be slaughtered by the sly Romans; and, 3) calm smarmy Prefect (Governor) Pilate to insure that temperamental King Herod remains distant and satisfied.

     Caiaphas believes that the only way to manage #'s 2 and 3 is to eliminate #1. He creates history, and after sending Jesus to Pontius Pilate for death, THE BIBLE concludes Part 4 of 5 with an intriguing trilogy of worship: 1) Jesus worshipping his Father God; 2) High Priest Caiaphas worshipping God in the temple; and, 3) Prefect Pilate and his wife worshipping idols in their palace.

     Part 5 of THE BIBLE will air this Sunday at 7:00 p.m. on The History Channel. At 11:00 a.m. that day, Parts 1-4 will begin re-airing.

Tooth Care 101

     The evening news recently reported some helpful insights about our pearly whites and preventing cavities:

1. Drink green tea. It is a great cavity fighter with neutralizing polyphenols.

2. Diets high in sugar and carbs increase cavity production.

3. Sugar-free energy drinks are bad for the teeth.

4. Acidic fruits and carbonated drinks soften the tooth's enamel. Don't brush your teeth immediately after consuming them. Wait 30 minutes before brushing.

THE BIBLE: Mary, Could You Ever REALLY Know?

    
     For days I have wanted to blog about REAL Mary. Her call was to birth, cradle, kiss, and raise... the precious Son of God and Savior of the world! How could Mary's young teen mind ever really have known the full impact of her willing response to the Angel Gabriel: "I am the Lord's servant... may it be to me as you have said"?

     THE BIBLE's Mary portrayal meticulously melds, blends, and overlaps New Testament accounts written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and is basically accurate. 

     Fully pregnant Mary's 100-mile donkey ride, stable laboring, and star-compelled visitors (the Wise Men may have actually visited later, but that is irrelevant) stirred me. God's warning in a dream to husband Joseph, to quickly flee to Egypt, showed his wise obedience to God; otherwise, paranoid King Herod's edict would have been completely fulfilled. Miraculously, one precious little bundle survived.

     Accounts omitted include older-relative Elizabeth's parallel miracle pregnancy with Mary. Elizabeth (pregnant with John the Baptist) gave Mary important, early-pregnancy refuge, that encouraged both Elizabeth and Mary. 

     Eight-day old Jesus' presentation in the temple was also omitted. Devout Simeon's Spirit-led blessing and Prophetess Anna's random announcement to people in the temple gave Mary and Joseph additional and needed assurance that their child was truly Special. Mary regularly needed to ponder every supernatural incident; to obediently put one foot in front of the other; to squelch uncertainty; to increase her faith.

     I fell in love with protective, wise, spirit-led husband Joseph, and later I applauded the mid-life, managed attention the movie directed to Mary.

     The conclusion of THE BIBLE airs Easter Sunday, at 7:00 p.m. Beginning at 11:00 a.m. that day, they will re-air Parts 1-4.

Can You Praise Your Child Too Much?

     I never imagined that parents could praise their children too much! The following information is from a child professional who was recently on The Today Show, and might be interesting food for thought... you decide... 

     How much praise is too much? Excessive praise, or the wrong kind, lowers your child's motivation, effort, and self-esteem.

Four signs you are praising too much:

1. Child is self-centered (me, me, me--forget about other team members)
2. Child becomes praise-dependent
3. They get used to praise and expect accolades for every small thing
4. They are too competitive, tearing down others

Healthy ways to build up children:

1. Stress the effort rather than the end product ("My, how hard you are working!")
2. Use praise-free comments: "You did it all by yourself!" OR ask a question instead: "How did you get that bike all the way down the street without the training wheels?" "What excited you about that project?"
3. Switch your praise = "You should be proud of yourself" NOT "I'm so proud of you."

The best homes:

• Have equal parts of "I feel worthy" and "I also feel capable to handle life"
• Are less permissive
• Have opportunities to be listened to and heard

When using praise, be:

• specific
• short
• sincere

     Children need to figure things out for themselves. If something doesn't work out well, ask your child:  "What can you do different the next time?"