Distinguishing Law and Gospel

     Principles for living, practical advice, secrets of victorious living, calls to discipleship, and instruction all fall under the catergory of law, whether they are offered sternly or gently, whether they are God's commands or our own.  The point is not to jettison these words, but (a) to make sure they are God's words rather than our own, and (b) to recognize that even when they are God's, they are different from God's word of gospel; the good news that although we have not done any of the things we said we would do, Christ has been made our "righteousness, holiness and redemption" (1 Cor. 1:30). The law tells us what God expects of us; the gospel tells us what God has done for us.
    So law and gospel are not inheretly opposed, but when it comes to how we are saved, these two principles could not be more antithetical. And since our faith at every moment is threatened by our natural tendency to be distracted from its object- Christ- we need the gospel placarded before us not just at the beginning but throughout the Chrsitian life. The gospel is for Christians too.  We need to be evangelized every week. It is not by following Christ's example but by actually ebing inserted into Christ, clothed with Crsit, united to Christ- as the Spirit creates faith through the gospel- that we are not only justified but sanctified as well.
     -Michael Horton, Christless Christianity (pg. 124-125) 

Thanksgiving in Tucson

 Thanksgiving in Tucson,  78 degrees and sunny!

We sat outside and enjoyed a delicious feast prepared by Sandi.  We had many different wines:

• Sparkling Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley, France
• Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand
• Garnacha from Catalyud, Sapin
•  Cabernet Sauvignon from Sonoma, Californa

And to go with the dessert course:

• A semi-sweet Vouvray (Chenin Blanc) from Loire Valley, France
• Late Bottle Vintage Port from Portugal

A fantastic meal on a beautiful day with great company!

Good Job Bill!

Each year in Tucson there is major bike ride around the city called Tour de Tucson.  Matt's dad who is 68 yrs old rides in it and does the whole tour which is 110 miles.  We met him at the finish line to congratulate him this year.  Good job, Bill!

Trick or Treat!

Last month when I went home I was there over Halloween and got to go trick or treating with my niece and nephews.  I brought Jax the cutest Halloween costume ever- a suagaro cactus made by Sandi.  I got the idea from Matt who was  a sugargo when he was little.  The body was made with green cloth and had ridges and the needles were made of yellow yarn- so cute!  

First you will see the fitting.  Getting a costume on a 15 month old is no small chore.  It took several people.  Since Sandi didn't know exactly how big Jax was she made the costume oversized so we could trim it down and fit it to him. 

We started our Halloween night at the grocery store where my sister Jamie works.  The first trick or treating station was at the store's floral counter.  The ladies there knew what Jax was right away! 

We took to the neighborhood at about 5:45.  I pushed Jax in his stroller.  It was a crisp 37 degrees out.  Regan, Jane and I shared a thermos of Baily's hot chocolate with heavy cream.  I ran Jax up to as many houses as I could.  It was a real workout as sometimes we were off-roading through people's yards.  He made it about an hour before he had enough.  Pete came and rescued him and the rest of us continued for a couple more hours.  Half way through we picked up the truck and headed across the main road to the other side of the neighborhood.  The kids jumped in and out of the back of the truck as we continued down many more streets (just like the way my dad used to drive us when we were little).  By the end of the night the kids had over 22 pounds of candy!

Minnesota Style

Unfortunately the only way I was able to take pics in Minnesota last month was with my phone.  This is a pic of my niece Liberty doing her favorite winter sport at the YMCA: log rolling!  She really takes log rolling lessons and is started to compete in log rolling competitions this month.  This truly is Minnesota Style!

Awwww!

Last month we went to Minnesota and saw my family.  Jax was cuter than ever!

Don't Blame Me...

...I didn't vote for the status quo Obomny.

Member!

A few weekends ago a very special event occured.  Matt became a member of Rincon Mountain PCA.  In this picture he is being introduced to the congregation, taking his membership vows and being received into fellowship.  As Pastor Phil went down the line to each person it was so sweet to see him stop at Matt and give him a big ol' bear hug.  Precious times!

The Toughest Tooth in the West

Recently we found a lump on the Sharptooth.  We did not want to have to take him to the vet because he hates it so much but we knew we had to in case it was the beginning of a cancerous tumor.  Yesterday morning I brought him to our trusty vet Rocco who is a master of veterinary practices.  Sharptooth has seen Rocco a number of times and hates him with a passion.  This normally docile, laid back Tooth turns into a ferocious mountain lion at the vet and yesterday was no exception.  We had to dump him out of his carrier, and put a towel over him so Rocco could give him a shot to relax him so that he would be able to give him the gas for the surgery.  Rocco gives lightning fast shots so that was good but then he attempted to pick Sharptooth up and place him in the clinic kennel.  Sharptooth escaped his hold and ran all over the clinic like a wild man, hissing and growling and striking at anyone who came near.  Luckily Rocco opened the kennel door and Sharptooth ran inside instead of hiding in some place that would have been impossible to get him out of.  

I went to work and got a call about an hour later that the vet staff had to give him a second  and stronger kind of shot because he would still not cooperate.  A vet without serious sedation is no match for the Sharptooth's raw power!!  About an hour after that the vet called again letting me know the surgery was done and Sharptooth made it through just fine.  Upon picking him up he was groggy and still quite sedated.  Rocco had removed a mass called a lipoma which he said he has seen many times, usually in dogs, and he did not think it was cancerous. It was a bit smaller than a golf ball in size. 

Sharptooth was shaved in a few places and has 10 stitches which Rocco told Matt he could remove in 2 weeks (good luck, Honey!).  We took him home where he promptly headed towards his favorite sleeping spot, on our bed between our pillows.  He could hardly walk without falling over (drunk Tooth) and seemed miserable. Poor cat!  He slept all night and seems better today.  

We were so relieved the lump was not a cancerous tumor that we celebrated by opening our best wine, Souverain, Cabernet Sauvingnon 2007, and praised the Lord for His great mercy to us!  The Sharptooth and Matt and I extend a hardy thank you for all the prayers!

Bathroom Gone Mexican!

A lot of Matt's free time is spent on house projects.  Fortunately for me he enjoys this.  We have all kinds of ideas for every room in the house and are only limited by our budget.  Last month he built us a new bathroom vanity, tiled the top and installed a talavera sink, new faucet, mirror, and painted an accent wall behind it.  It turned out awesome!  Someday we would like to redo the shower in this bathroom to match the new vanity.  Here are some pictures. 

when we bought the house

Horton book "Where in the World is the Church?"

Michael Horton is my favorite writer and thinker.  I was first introduced to him in the magazine called  Modern Reformation, which he is the editor of and a main contributor to.  I have a few of his books.  This one, "Where in the World is the Church?" is the first one I am reading.  It is subtitled "a Christian view of culture and your role in it."  I love this topic and what Michael Horton says on it both challenges and encourages me to no end.  I highly recommend it and would love to read it with a group of people and discuss it.

Here is the description of it from the Ligonier Ministries website: Many believers have retreated into a Christian subculture where they read books published only by “Christian” publishers, listen only to “Christian” music, and generally stay away from anything that does not specifically call itself Christian. This book argues that such a withdrawal is not the biblical way to approach culture and shows why believers are free to enjoy truth and beauty wherever it is found.

Christian Growth

Christian growth does not happen by working hard to get something you don’t have. Rather, Christian growth happens by working hard to daily swim in the reality of what you do have. Believing again and again the gospel of God’s free, justifying grace everyday is the hard work we’re called to.

This means that real change happens only as we continuously rediscover the gospel. The progress of the Christian life is “not our movement toward the goal; it’s the movement of the goal on us.” Sanctification involves God’s attack on our unbelief—our self-centered refusal to believe that God’s approval of us in Christ is full and final. It happens as we daily receive and rest in our unconditional justification. As G. C. Berkouwer said, “The heart of sanctification is the life which feeds on justification.” -Tullian Tchividjian:

Intruder

I awoke the other morning to hear Indi screaming at Matt.  When he came and locked her in the bedroom I knew something was wrong.  It appeared our little cazador found an intruder and trapped it under Matt's humidor.  What a mighty hunter she is!   We were very proud of our little girl but very sad to see a scorpion in our house.  This is the first time I have ever seen one in a house since I have lived in Arizona and the second time I have ever seen one at all.  Now I wear my shoes at all times :(

EVIL!

New Bookshelf

I am so lucky to have a husband who is handy and likes to do projects around the house.  Lately he has been working on our guest bathroom for which he built a new vanity for the talavera sink we bought.  This project is almost done and pictures are forthcoming.  He also built us a really cool book shelf in our fireplace room which we hope to eventually deck out with awesome reading chairs and perhaps another bookshelf down the road when we have filled this one up.  He used really colorful adobe bricks that remind me of sandstone.

Sunday Nights: Sinaloense and Spades

Since we have been back in Tucson we have had the great privilege of getting together with the Jankowski's pretty much every Sunday night to eat Mexican food and give them spades lessons.  When we go down to their casa we get Mexican food from El Sinaloense.  For my friends up in Minnesota here is what  real Mexican tacos look like- small tortillas filled with carne asada  and some fixins.

 When the Janks come up to our casa we sometimes cook Mexican food which is still authentic and delicious because Yunuen makes it!

This Sunday night tradition is one of the sweetest things about being back in Tucson with our amigos!

No Way!

What the heck- I thought I moved away form these!!

Snugglebugs

Instead of Squirrels

Indi used to love watching the endless number of squirrels scurry across the yard in Minnesota. Instead of squirrels here she has endless lizards to hunt.

Home Sweet Home!

We pulled into Tucson Saturday afternoon (June 9th) after losing the AC in our moving truck about 150 miles out.  We decided to take the Element off the trailer so I could drive the cats the remainder of the way as the truck quickly grew to 108 degrees inside the cab (poor Matt!).  Upon our arrival friends and family were there to greet us and help us unload the truck even though our poor timing brought us into Tucson during the hottest time of the day.  Sandi had cleaned up our house and stocked the fridge with important things like milk, almond butter, wine, cheese, and fresh vegetables from her garden.

Yunuen came over and brought the fixings to make us dinner but by the time she was done cooking I was taken over with dehydration and thoroughly overheated.  Friends and family ate up while I pounded gatorade.  I had planned on drinking my Nicolas Feuillatte Champagne to celebrate our return to Tucson but instead I found myself in bed at 7PM feeling absolutely dreadful and wondering if the desert was going to kill me my first day back!

The next morning I awoke feeling better and Sandi came over with monkey bread fresh from the oven  It was Sunday morning and Matt and I were finally able to go to our home church, Rincon- what a blessing!  The last few weeks have been busy with all sorts of fun things like unpacking and setting up our house, catching up with friends, swimming and BBQs with Matt's family, enjoying our first monsoon storm in years, worshiping at Rincon, buying a wine fridge, shopping at our favorite stores, eating at our favorite restaurants, Matt starting his new job and us celebrating his first day of work in Tucson with Nicolas Feuillatte, marveling over our view and the sheer beauty of the Sonoran desert, having a wine and cheese party on the porch for Matt's recent birthday and of course playing spades with the Jankowski's (who, to their credit, are the second best spades players in the world!).  

We have been back now just over two weeks and to our surprise we are still trying to adjust to this desert which I am calling harsh, but the most beautiful place on earth as far as I am concerned. I love Tucson and know it is where I belong.  That being said I miss my Minnesota people terribly and am ready for their visits!!

A Post From the Road

 Matt and I said goodbye to our Rochester house at 1:30 this morning and hit the road headed for our hotel in Dalhart, Texas. 923 miles and 15 hrs and 20 minutes later we arrived.   The cats spent most of the ride in tow in the back of the Element but were taken into the big rig with us during the hottest part of the day to enjoy the air conditioning.  Matt is a pro at driving the Penske beast.  It took me a while to get used to it and I still don't like it but whatever it takes to get us home to Tucson!  

We left Minnesota and drove through Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma into Texas.  There is absolutely nothing of interest to see on the route except for the oil pumps that dot the fields once you get to southern Kansas.  I find them quite creepy, the way they slowly move back in forth in a perfect rhythm.  Now we are going to relax for a bit before taking a long nap and doing the same thing tomorrow, only this leg will only be 717 miles and then we will be home- yay!

Minnesota Blues

Things I will miss in Minnesota
My Mom
Joe
Jamie
Steven
Regan
Pete
Jace
Levi
Liberty
Jax
Monday night Bible study dinners with Katie and Joy
Wine study group with Barbara and Ruth
Working at Cap N Cork Wine & Spirits
Going up to the cabin
Hanging out at Regan's
Nelson's Ice Cream in Stillwater
Doing drive-bys of the house I grew up in
Thinking of my Dad everytime I pass Koch on highway 52
Roma Market in Mahtomedi (gorgonzola & candied fig wood fire pizza!)
Butter chicken from India Garden in Rochester
The giant jack pines on the north side of my house
The smell of lilacs in spring
The lightning bugs in summer
Mowing the lawn
The crisp air in fall
The leaves changing color in fall
The first snow of the season
Watching Jax do his tricks
Hearing funny Levi stories
Eating my Mom's cooking
Eating Regan's cooking
Hearing everything I never wanted to know about the Twins from my sister Jamie
Watching Jace grow into a young man
Seeing Liberty and Levi in their plays
Watching Levi's baseball games with my sisters
Hanging out with my sisters
Drinking wine with the ladies
Trying new wines at work
Valley Fair
Talking food and wine with Jane
Hearing hilarious chiropractor stories from Bransons
Smoking hookah with y'all
Visits to Cowtwn to see the rellys


Things I Won't Miss in Minnesota
Tornado weather!
Freezing cold temperatures
Overcast days
Mosquitoes, gnats and woodticks at the cabin

Last Day in Minnesota

This week has been crazy busy with packing and making the house rental ready.  I have also spent much time over the last week with friends and family saying good bye- which I hate!  I take great comfort in knowing we will be together for eternity but it is still hard to say goodbye.  I have some great pictures from the going away party last weekend with my family and once I am not too sad to look at them I will post some.  

In the mean time I thought I would share this fun picture with you.  Once Matt picked up our 26 foot rental truck with attached car trailer he thought it only appropriate to play the part.  So he shaved himself what he calls a "trucker-stache" for the drive home in the big rig.  10-4 over and out Minnesota!

Last Cabin Adventure

Matt and I went up to the cabin over the weekend for our last time before we move.  We wanted to see Joe and hang with the family.  We got to play some badminton, go for a canoe ride up the crick, take Joe out for breakfast at the Log Cabin, have fires, eat my Mom's delicious food, and flee the cabin at the sound of tornado sirens which accompanied some severe storms common this time of year.  We also got to hang with Jax and watch him play with his favorite toy at my Mom's house: Grandpa's oxygen cord!

Chateau St. Croix

My sister Regan surprised Matt with an early b-day present of wine tasting at Chateau St. Croix Winery & Vineyard which is located in St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin.  I knew Matt would be skeptical at the thought of it so I didn't tell him where we were going on his secret b-day adventure but just punched the address into the GPS on the way up to the cabin this past weekend.  When we pulled in he expected the worst but was pleasantly surprised to find out this Wisconsin vineyard did grow grapes but most of what they make their wines from are grapes they buy from California- yay!  So we tasted a number of wines and had pizza made in a traveling wood fired oven.  Matt got to temp the fire which was 740 degrees!  We also were fortunate to learn a few things about baking pizza in a wood fired oven from the owner and this was very helpful since we plan to build a wood fired oven back on our porch in AZ.  We had a delicious pizza with roasted sweet potato, blue cheese, panchetta and a drizzle of maple syrup- yum!  My favorite wine was the Syrah and Matt's favorite was the Cabernet Sauvignon.  We tried a number of wines including a special Cigar Wine which to our surprise was a rose.  A great time- thanks Reegz!