The Farm

Joel and I were both fortunate to grow up on country farms. During a trip to Mayo clinic Joel and I were able to visit some of his relatives and return to the farm where he spent much of his first 12 years as a little boy. This farm is where his grandpa raised cattle and pigs, and held a never forgotten corn harvest celebration. Joel's Aunt is now living on the farm with her husband and two children. We feel very blessed to be able to go back an visit from time to time. 

This is the farm house. It's super cool with a big wood stove.

The barn.

The Silo

Joel played school with his grandma in the top of this building.

I like this picture

Christmas and More

Well now that the semester is over and things have gotten a little less stressful I thought it would be a good time to blog. Sorry for the long hiatus since October, this fall became a little hectic.

Here's some of the things we did over Christmas break in no particular order.  

1. Made A Turkey. 

I cooked, Joel carved. 

2. Went skiing (A LOT)

This is Joel on Beaver Slide, My favorite ski trail in Fairbanks.

It's so perfect when the sun shines on the snow covered trees down the tracks. 

3. Looked cute in a shirt from Mom and Dad Coulter

I know, not the best picture of Joel, but I like the color of his shirt, and I think he's cute. 

4. Joel Kicked Julia's butt in scrabble 

Love the mug (TIGGER= Joel's nickname)

5. Julia Kicked Joel's butt in scrabble

Thinking....

No making fun of all the 4 letter words that we use. We're getting better. 

6. Took care of some doggies! (joel and I house sat for one of our pastors who has 8 sled dogs)

This is Roxy, she runs up to you and shoves her face in between your legs (not in a dog sniffing your butt kind of way). 

This is what the other view looks like. I laugh every time she does this.

This is Olivia, she's my favorite. I call her the Hyena dog. 

7. Ate Pizza 

PIZZA. Half aloha and half gyro, the gyro was AMAZING!

8. Went skiing some more. 

Anna and I are in Anchorage at the US National Ski Championships. Joel and Harald were here, but they had to return home. 

A brain is not working right. Why? What should be done?

I have been leaning on some ideas that have helped direct my thoughts about living in the world as a Christian with a strange hope that people will (by God's grace) ask me about. I'd like to organize them here to help me lean on them and who they point me to even more.

Why?

I very much appreciate the explanatory power of a Christian worldview. I especially appreciate it when faithful and wise people communicate an idea about the Christian worldview well. I don't know if I could come to these conclusions and find these hopes on my own.

What is sin? How bad is it and how can we see how bad it is? (Click to download an audio file) A story about a mother whose son has seizures every few minutes at 20:45 will not leave my mind; preceding the story, starting at 14:00, describes how we can see the horror of preferring anything to God.

What should be done?

If this is why suffering and disease and pain is so prevalent across all of human experience, what should a person who believes in Christ and all that God has done through him do? I love these answers.

What should a Christian do when suffering appears? (Because it inevitably does)

Don't Wast Your Cancer (or your life or your cavernous angioma!)

All of this leads me to this thought: I love God.

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