The Peace Maker

I mentioned in a previous post that I took a Seminary Wives Institute course this month called Conflict Management. The course content included leadership styles, high-maintenance personalities, common church conflicts, biblical confrontation, forgiveness, marriage and family conflict, grief and loss. The class textbook was The Peace Maker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict, by Ken Sande. The book is practical and inspiring, and yet more information than I could assimilate in one read; it will be one of those really good reference books that I look back at from time to time.

The Things They Say

Ken said to Calvin today, "Hey, son, I have a question for you." Calvin responded by holding out his finger and saying, "I have a booger."

I have no idea what Ken was going to ask Calvin. The question was completely forgotten as we hugged each other and laughed.

Teddy is learning to feed himself with a fork. I put some food on his fork and held it out for him. He pulled the food off, put the food on his tray, took the fork and stabbed the food himself, then ate it and grinned. My apologies, Teddy, for thinking you needed a little help.

The Fruit of Discipline

Yesterday was filled with battles between me and Calvin. Lots of disobedience and defiance!

Today, however, God allowed me a taste of fruit from my labor of disciplining Calvin...

Calvin threw a toy at Teddy after I had just told him not to. I told him to go sit on the naughty chair for two minutes. He went to the chair without any struggle. After two minutes, I called him into the kitchen to talk. I told him once more what he had done to deserve correction. He responded by clasping his hands together and saying, "Let's pray! Dear God, I sinned. Please forgive me. Thank you. Amen." I said (after I stopped gaping in shock), "Now go make things right with your brother." "Okay," he said, and then he ran to the living room to apologize to Teddy.

God knew how much I needed that encouragement today, to see Calvin receive correction without a fight, and to see his heart tender before the Lord.

Fights And Carols

"What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your

desires that battle within you?"

James 4:1

A few weeks ago, Calvin asked if he could bring one of his Lightning McQueen cars to Sunday School. "No," I said, "because it causes fights and quarrels among your friends." I learned today that he was actually listening to my response...

Today at lunch, Calvin started a tug-of-war with Teddy over a sippy cup of milk. Calvin won the battle and tossed the cup aside and out of Teddy's reach. He then exclaimed, "Mommy! We're playing fights and carols!"

I tried for a moment to hold back a smile, then gave in and erupted in giggles.

Moms and Dads Are Different

Here's an example of how different moms are from dads:

At the end of lunch yesterday, Teddy took a chunk of cornbread and threw it across the room.

Kim: Teddy Dean! No throwing food!

Ken: Did Teddy do that? What an arm!!



Yes, that's why children need both a mother and a father.

Return to Worship

I just finished reading the book Return to Worship by Ron Owens. Owens' purpose in writing this book is to encourage the church to worship the God of the Bible as God deems acceptable. He addresses two audiences: the layperson and church leaders. He calls each chapter a "letter" and addresses it to a particular person or position in the church.

I love his letters to the layperson, where he addresses the "who" and "what" of worship. It is my experience that "worship" is most often discussed in terms of preference rather than substance. By preference, I mean the style of music, choice of songs, or delivery style of the preacher. By substance I am referring to the content of the message, the meaning, the purpose of all elements of a worship service. This is an important distinction for all Christians to consider, clergy and layperson alike, for we often need to set aside our preferences in order to allow the entire body of Christ to worship in Spirit and in truth.

Owens also addresses church leaders. My favorite letter in this section has to do with continuity in the corporate worship service. This value of continuity was modeled for me by the worship pastor I served alongside in Minnesota. He consistently planned worship services that flowed from the meaning of that service's sermon text.

Owens main thought on worship is that it is a lifestyle. We worship God corporately but also individually as we submit and serve in the name of Christ.

Louisville from A to Z

We've had this great little children's book checked out from the library for a few weeks now. It's called Louisville From A to Z. It has taught us some interesting facts about Louisville, Kentucky:

• B-- The Belle of Louisville. I had seen pictures of it before, a restored paddlewheel steamboat that cruises the Ohio River. What I didn't know was that it is one of only five remaining paddlewheel steamboats in the United States.
• O-- "for Frederick Law Olmsted, who designed Louisville's original parks system. He moved to Louisville after designing Central Park in New York City."
• S--The Seelbach Hotel is talked up all over town as the swankiest place in the city. Do you recognize the name? It is a hotel featured in the book, The Great Gatsby.
• T--"Thunder Over Louisville, the nation's largest annual fireworks display, and the official kickoff for the Kentucky Derby Festival each year."

The book has also given us a new list of places to be sure and see in Louisville: Churchill Downs, Henry's Ark, Iroquios Ampitheater, St. James Court Art Show, historic Old Louisville, the University of Louisville, and Water Tower park.

That's a big list. We'll see how far we get while living here.

Snow!

It snowed last night here in Louisville. Not a lot, but enough to make a snow man. Calvin and Ken played in the snow this morning while I took Teddy to the doctor for a check-up. I arrived back home to Cal and Ken out in the yard, excitedly pointing to their snow man. And what a nice snow man it was! (Though the end of his nose had been nibbled off. Now who did that?)

As we were taking pictures, Ken said to Calvin, "Give your snow man a hug!" Calvin responded, "No, Daddy, I'm going to knock him down." And, just like that, the nice snow man came to a crashing end.

Boys.

End of a great season

Last night the Packers lost. The Giants outplayed them. While last night's game was a disappointment, I am thrilled with the Packers season. It was fun to watch them play so well all year. The best thing about the loss was Calvin's hug this morning and words of sympathy. He said, "Oh Daddy, I am so sorry the Packers lost."

My predictions: The Patriots win big in the Super Bowl. Favre comes back for one more year and the Packers win it all.

Welcome Baby Chloe!

My brother Glen and his wife Emily welcomed their firstborn

into the world late Thursday night.

She is a beautiful baby girl named

Chloe Jo Gregerson.

Congratulations Glen and Emily!

Ken's deep theological thought while on campus...

Today I (Ken) was walking from the seminary library to class, and I learned something profound. My favorite candy bar is not Reeses Peanut Butter Cup as I had always thought. As I munched on a Butterfinger, I realized that Butterfinger is much better.

And you thought seminarians spent all their time pondering the trinity and the providence of God.

What are we doing these days?

We haven't disappeared...we've just started school again. And "we" is very accurate. Last week, I took a J-Term Seminary Wives Institute course called Conflict Management. I am still working on my assignments, which are all due at the end of January. Ken is in a J-Term class this week called The Worshipping Church. He has really enjoyed it. He finishes up today, maybe even as I am writing this post. So we have been trading off on caring for the boys, and trying to get them to bed early each night so we can both do our class reading.

Our Last Christmas Party of the Season

Last night, we had our Sunday school class over for a late Christmas/New Year's party. It's kind of fun to let the Christmas season linger on into January! We had a delicious potluck ham dinner. Between the dining room table at full length...


And a second dining table set up in the entry way...

We comfortably sat fifteen people for dinner! Here are a few pictures of our friends enjoying the fellowship in our home:

This group on the couch is watching the Packers game. What Christmas party is complete without football, right?




We also played a group game that revealed some little-known facts about one another. Every one's kiddos were with baby-sitters, so we all actually enjoyed some uninterrupted conversations. It was a fun night! And now, it's time for the Christmas decorations to come down.

Calvin, the defender of truth II

Well, Calvin is at it again. A month ago two men came to our door. They were Jehovah's Witnesses. Kimberly and I visited with them and I pressed them on the issue of who is Jesus. They replied that he is 'a god'. We showed them Scripture after Scripture that showed that Jesus is God, the God.

Time passed and we thought nothing of it. Three mornings ago Calvin said to Kimberly and me at breakfast, "Those two men said that Jesus is 'a god', but that is not right, he is the God!

Wow, what a lesson for us as parents. Our children are always listening and they are always learning. The Bible says that we are to, "...teach them (the Scriptures) diligently to your children..." (Deut 6:7). Every moment we are teaching something about God to our children in words AND actions.

Christmas Cards

We have enjoyed receiving Christmas cards and photos this year from family and friends new and old. A couple years ago, my cousins Jeff and Nancy had all their cards on one wall in their home. It looked fun and festive and really put the cards on display. So I stole their idea and created our own Christmas card wall.

As is our tradition, when I take down all our Christmas decorations (mid-January for me!), I will tuck all the Christmas cards from 2007 in one of the decoration boxes. Next year, when I decorate once again for Christmas, I'll take out the stack of 2007 cards and Ken and I will sit together and look through them once more. I plan to use the cards after that to make Christmas crafts with Calvin and Teddy.

Thank you, friends and family, for all the cards and photos! Can you spot yours in the photo?

Good Friends

My good friends Bill and Heidi Sprouse drove through Louisville on New Year's Day and spent a night at our home (As my mom said, "Oh! The Schmidt hotel is open again!"). It was so fun to see them. Heidi is pregnant with their first child, due in March, so I got to see her pregnant belly. So cute! We celebrated Bill and Heidi's fourth wedding anniversary on Wednesday morning with our good friends Matt and Ashley Wireman. Bill and Heidi are the ones in the picture with the red "Special Plates" in front of them. Ken is admittedly looking a little out of it in the picture- he worked two days of double shifts, stayed up late visiting with Bill and Heidi, played with Teddy Dean at 3 a.m., then got up at 8 a.m. for our little breakfast celebration. Good man!

I've been reflecting on my friendships with Heidi and Ashley. The three of us first met in the summer of 1999, when we roomed together on a Campus Crusade for Christ summer project in San Diego. We were all from different states and attended different universities. We could have easily said good-bye at the end of the summer and never seen eachother again. But God has graciously allowed our paths to cross in many unique ways over the past 8 1/2 years.

Heidi is from Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Her family became my home away from home during my college years, even when she was away at UW-Stout. She and Ashley were roommates at Crusade staff training in Colorado. I travelled there and visited them for a few nights that summer. Heidi was a bridesmaid in my wedding. When she fell in love with Bill, she asked Ken to perform their marriage ceremony.

Matt and Ashley married in South Carolina, then moved to Minneapolis to attend The Bethlehem Institute. The Schmidts and Wiremans enjoyed living in the same area for two years, getting together for many Settlers of Catan evenings, baseball games, and good food. Now, Matt and Ken both attend Southern Seminary. More amazing to me, we now live less than 2 1/2 miles from the Wiremans!

God gives so many good gifts and I am thankful to Him for these friendships. Thank you also to Heidi and Ashley, for keeping in touch and sharing your lives with me. You have both encouraged me greatly in my walk with God and your lives are a testimony of faith as well.