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: