Thanksgiving 2

Tim Challies posted an article to his website, Challies.com, that was written by his mother. It is titled Tears at Thanksgiving. It is a powerful reminder to guard the marriage with which you have been blessed. Divorce has consequences that continue for generations. Here is a reprint of the article:

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I am continually amazed, then re-amazed, at the carnage of divorce. I see this in Heather, a beautiful and godly friend of my youngest daughter.

Every holiday is a time of balancing all the family pushes and pulls for a child of divorce. No matter what uneasy solution a child arrives at, it does not satisfy everyone, and the child herself is ultimately blamed for causing unhappiness. In this case, ongoing pressure is placed on Heather to warmly embrace the woman who willingly displaced Mom when Dad decided to trade her in for a newer model several years ago. Mom was left bitter and potentially destitute—without even medical insurance; certainly no current skills with which to provide for herself.

Dad goes on to a life of increased wealth as he marries a young, childless woman immersed in the corporate world. Do you challenge Mom about her bitterness? When? How? Do you refuse to acknowledge Dad’s new acquisition as a relevant part of your life? When? How? And all this comes to a head at holiday time. You have to make specific choices that externalize your thinking on the matter.

Who will I eat Thanksgiving dinner with?

Christmas dinner?

I have prayed and agonized with Heather over these things. I generally encourage her to give her mother the best of every holiday—it may not be a bad thing for Dad to live with the consequences of his actions. Still, there is no truly satisfactory outcome in this situation. It is too broken.

I came up against this again last weekend as I spoke on the phone with an old friend from Washington. She and her husband have both been divorced in the past. They experience holidays, of course, from the perspective of the parents. That is, with many tears. She said they both had been crying for days—crying for too many absent spots at the table, too many war wounds in their young. They are at the receiving end of the choices their kids make for holiday time.

I pray for you, my children, that you will all see with the eyes of eternity—that through the trials and tribulations of life—specifically marriage—you will never have the shade of a doubt that, from all eternity, God planned for you to be with the one you have pledged to be faithful to. Guard your hearts and never allow the slightest strain of, “Well, maybe”, or “What if”, to enter your minds. Your unconditional commitment to your marriage, based on a total conviction of God’s sovereignty in bringing you together, is its greatest strength!

Thanksgiving

"Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus," 1Thessalonians 5:18

Last week we celebrated our 3rd Thanksgiving in Israel. There are many American expatriates that live here, so we invite as many as we can each year to share the evening with us. This year, 19 people gathered in our apartment to enjoy turkey, cranberry sauce, cornbread dressing, pumpkin pie, sweet potatoes, well, you get the picture. Since most Jewish holidays revolve around the Biblical feasts and Christmas is almost non-existent here, Thanksgiving is something just for us. I know it sounds a bit selfish, but we also think it is important to keep some American traditions for the sake of our children. Some of my most memorable childhood holidays were the Thanksgiving gatherings at my grandmother's house with cousins, aunts, uncles, and friends.
We have so much to be thankful for, especially as believers, because the Lord has been so good to us. Some of the things for which I am thankful: my wife, my 3 children, my parents, my extended family, my friends (both in Israel and the States), my church, my health, a fulfilling life, the Bible, my personal relationship with God and with his son, Jesus Christ, e-mail, snail mail, Skype (so I can stay in touch by phone), education, language, my Midwest heritage, snow (especially since I don't have to drive in it here), the Cleveland Indians, the Browns, and the Cavaliers. There is so much more. What is it for which you are thankful?

He's back!

Ryan returned from his two weeks in the States last Saturday (Nov. 10th). He visited 8 colleges in 7 states during that time. He saw his grandparents in Virginia, friends from high school at Cedarville University, and a childhood buddy in Michigan. He enjoyed the all-American fare at Taco Bell, Krispy Kreme, Pizzeria Uno-you name it! It was all so cheap compared to the prices over here. If only the university prices were so cheap! On the last day of the trip before returning, the group was treated to a Casting Crown's concert in the D.C. area. Ryan is considering a pre-med major or a language major. He is seen here with the other college prospects that were on the same trip.

Tori celebrated her 14th birthday on the day Ryan returned. Two days earlier, she treated her sister and two friends to an evening of bowling and food. On the night of her birthday, we stayed at home, ordered pizza, opened birthday gifts, and dialogued with Ryan about his adventures. He brought candy and gifts for both of the girls to enjoy.

The Virgin Birth

From where did the Christian idea of the virgin birth come? Matthew 1:23 says, "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel..." This is a quote of Isaiah 7:14. The Hebrew word used in Isaiah is almah which is understood as young woman in most places in the Old Testament. In fact, there is a word in Hebrew for virgin. The word is betulah. Why didn't the writer of Isaiah use betulah to avoid any Jewish-Christian conflict or misunderstanding of this verse? My Jewish professor, this week, tried to explain how the Christians misinterpret Isaiah 7:14 for their own purpose to prove the Messiahship of Jesus. The fact, according to my professor, is that almah was mistranslated in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testatment) as virgin with the Greek word parthenos. This argument could hold water for my professor except for the fact that the Septuagint translation was written between 240 B.C. and the first century B.C. by 70 Jewish sages. That is, before Christ or Christians, for that matter, were even on the scene. There was no Jewish-Christian conflict yet. The Septuagint translated almah as virgin in other places, as well. To imply that almah only means a young woman is to be a bit dishonest. In fact, in Genesis 24:16, 43 the Hebrew words almah and betulah are each used to refer to one person, Rebekah, the young virgin who was to be wed to Isaac. The Greek translated both as virgin, which is not a misrepresentation of the usage by any means. Is it possible that almah, as it was understood then, referred to a young woman who was eligible to be married was also understood to be a virgin?