January~Eating from the pantry

Join me as I attempt to eat only from our pantry/freezer for the month of January, only buying fresh produce and dairy. I'm not sure how far I'll make it, but it sounds like a good challenge! I know I'm going to have to cheat a bit at the start and buy some flour and sugar since we are almost completely out. For me, my biggest goal is buying no meat this month since I know we have plenty in the freezer.

Andrew's 5th Birthday

December 26 was Andrew's 5th birthday!

Andrew opening gifts from mommy and daddy.

Some craft stuff.

We took the boys to Chuck E Cheese for the first time on Andrew's birthday. My mom and dad and Nathan and Michelle came along too. They had a lot of fun, but were definitely overstimulated!

Joel playing on the indoor playground.

Joel and Noah in the monster truck...Noah didn't like it a bit and Joel loved it!

Noah and Uncle Nate

Andrew, opening birthday gifts from Uncle Nate and Aunt Shell and Grandpa and Grandma.

He was a little distracted...

Joel had a BLAST at Chuck E Cheese!

Andrew playing games with Daddy.


Noah went on this ride at least 3 times. The seats moved and rattled like you were really on a roller coaster.

Joel loved this ride. It was a bike that you pedaled and then it went up in the air.

In the evening, some of Chris's family came over for army cake and ice cream.
THE cake~camouflage with army guys and tanks.

Daddy and Joey in their birthday hats.

Opening a few more gifts, including his very own bucket of army guys.

Singing to the birthday boy.

The whole gang eating cake and blue juice (Andrew specifically requested blue juice).

Karsten trying out one of Uncle Chris's donuts.

Aunt Angie

The birthday boy and Connie eating army guy cake and drinking blue juice.

Aunt Aimee feeding Joey cake~he loved it!

Mommy with her big boy! He's now a whole hand of fingers!

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve was spend baking and cooking...


and playing caged bears!

This was Andrew and Noah's cage. They took their stool out of the bathroom and climbed into the pack n play.

Enjoying some popcorn and coloring book treats from the neighbors while mommy baked.

In the evening, we went to my mom and dad's and had orange chicken and rice (made by Nate and Michelle) for dinner and then opened gifts. Here are the boys in front of the tree.

Their favorite gifts: shotguns from Uncle Nate and Aunt Shell.




Noah, practicing his aim.

Opening some gifts from grandpa and grandma.



Joel wasn't too interested in the gifts, just playing with the paper.

Noah's first gift, he had Chris open the rest of his. He was too busy playing. :-)

Andrew opening his stocking.

Andrew's Sleepover

Last night Andrew slept over at blue grandpa's house. During dinner, he announced that his mom was 74! Grandma says, "No, she's not 74."
Andrew: Oh, right, she's 47.
Grandma: No, she's almost 27, not 47.
Andrew: No, she IS 47. (You can't tell this kid anything.)

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Andrew to Grandpa: All dogs whose names start with S are girl dogs.
Grandpa: Your dog's name starts with S and he's a boy.
Andrew: No, it starts with D, dog!

Interesting blog

Here's an interesting blog I stumbled upon. Her most recent entry is on why health care reform won't work. She has an interesting perspective as an ER doc.

What's cookin'

Hope everyone has a blessed Christmas! Here's what we plan on eating this coming week:
Mon~Potato chowder in my magic pot, bread, fruit
Tues~Roast beef, mashed potatoes, corn
Wed~Pizza subs, salad, fruit
Thurs~Egg sandwiches
Fri~Christmas day: I'm making desserts for the in-law's Christmas dinner
Sat~Andrew's 5th birthday! We plan on going to Chuck E Cheese's for lunch so we'll probably just have sandwiches or pancakes for dinner and army guy chocolate cake with Chris's family at night.
Sun~Soup, bread

It came!

This is my newest kitchen gadget, the Pampered Chef deep dish covered baker. I am really excited to start using it. At my PC party last week, my consultant made chicken fajitas in it which were absolutely fabulous! I hope to make those tomorrow. I also hope to make a roast chicken in this in the microwave! I am told it only takes a half hour and the chicken tastes great! We shall see. I've never owned any PC stoneware so I am looking forward to trying new things.
For those of you who ordered PC products at my party, they are coming! I received one carton today and hope to receive the 2nd tomorrow and then I should have everyone's stuff.

Making donuts

Chris just rediscovered the deep fryer we got for a wedding gift and never opened and he has made donuts almost every day for the last two weeks!

They boys love it!

What's cookin' (the rest of the week)

Tues~my own concoction of fried potatoes, smoked sausage and onions, served with carrots
Wed~I'm hoping my Pampered Chef magic pot comes by then and I'm going to make chicken fajitas in it, served with clementine oranges (we've got a bunch!)
Thurs~out to IHOP, I have two coupons for free kids meals
Fri~Roast chicken in my magic pot, mashed potatoes, corn
Sat~frozen pizza, salad
Sun~Pork tenderloin, loaded mashed potatoes, green beans, salad

Taste of Home

Remember this deal I told you about? I just received my first magazine yesterday! I love this magazine, but I've never paid for it because it didn't seem worth it. I'm so glad I can now enjoy it for 4 years for only 8 bucks! If you keep your eyes open, there are quite a few free magazine deals that pop up. I just finished receiving a year of Martha Stewart, a magazine I would never pay for but that's still interesting to look through.

John Piper's endorsement of the ESV of the Bible

Good English With Minimal Translation: Why Bethlehem Uses the ESV

Download:

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By John Piper January 1, 2004

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Why I would like to see the English Standard Version become the most common Bible of the English-speaking church, for preaching, teaching, memorizing, and study.

The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the LORD is sure,
making wise the simple;
the precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the LORD is pure,
enlightening the eyes;
the fear of the LORD is clean,
enduring forever;
the rules of the LORD are true,
and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
and drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
Who can discern his errors?
Declare me innocent from hidden faults.
Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins;
let them not have dominion over me!
Then I shall be blameless,
and innocent of great transgression.
Let the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in your sight, O LORD,
my rock and my redeemer.

--Psalm 19:7-14

I love the Bible the way I love my eyes—not because my eyes are lovely, but because without them I can't see what's lovely. Without the Bible I could not see "the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ" (2 Cor. 4:4). Without the Bible I could not know "the unsearchable riches of Christ" (Eph. 3:8). Without the Bible I would not know that I am a great sinner and that Christ is a great Savior. I love the Bible because it gives the wisdom that leads to salvation, and shows me that this salvation is nothing less than seeing and savoring the glory of Christ forever. And then provides for me inexhaustible ways of seeing and knowing and enjoying Christ.

I praise God that we have the Bible in English. What a gift! What a treasure! We cannot begin to estimate what this is worth to Christians and churches, and even to the unbelievers and the cultures of the English-speaking world. Ten thousand benefits flow from the influence of this book that we are not even aware of. And the preaching of this Word in tens of thousands of pulpits across America is more important than every media outlet in the nation.

I would rather have people read any translation of the Bible—no matter how weak—than to read no translation of the Bible. If there could be only one translation in English, I would rather it be my least favorite than that there be none. God uses every version to bless people and save people.

But the issue before the church in the English-speaking world today is not "no translation vs. a weak translation." It is between many precious English Bibles. A Bible does not cease to be precious and powerful because its translators overuse paraphrase and put way too much of their own interpretation into the Bible. That's the way God's Word is! It breaks free from poor translations and poor preaching—for which I am very thankful. But even though the weakest translation is precious, and is used by God to save and strengthen sinful people, better translations would be a great blessing to the church and an honor to Christ.

The King James Version

When I turned 15—on January 11, 1961—my parents gave me a beautiful, leather-bound King James Bible. I loved it. I loved the smell of it and the feel of it, and the dedication inside ("This book will keep you from sin or sin will keep you from this book," Mother and Daddy), and most of all the message of it for my embattled teenage years. God met me in this book day after day when I was a teenager.

The Revised Standard Version

Three and a half years later as a freshman at Wheaton I remember the very place in the bookstore where I picked up the first Bible I ever bought for myself, a Revised Standard Version. It was close enough to the King James so that I felt at home, but its English was not Elizabethan; it was my English. So I was doubly at home. This became my reading, meditating, memorizing Bible for the next 37 years.

The New American Standard Bible

But I hit a problem in 1980. I became the preaching pastor at Bethlehem Baptist Church. What version to use? The RSV was out of print—they weren't making pew Bibles any more. I needed a literal version with all the words and phrases as close to the original as possible. I could not preach from another kind of Bible, because I made my points from the very wording of the Bible, and when the wording vanished into paraphrase I could not make my points with clarity and authority. The most literal modern translation was the NASB, and that is what I chose. So I have preached from the NASB for over 20 years. But I groaned that it was never going to be the common reading, memorizing Bible of the people. It is too awkward and unnatural in the way it flows.

The New International Version

Key question: the NIV appeared in 1978. I read it. Why didn't I use it? The reason I didn't use it is the reason I am here tonight. The NIV is the best-selling modern translation of the Bible. There are about 150 million copies in print. The NIV makes up about 30% of all Bible sales. Among evangelicals the percentage would be far above 30% and is probably the Bible most evangelicals read most often. And the one most pastors use in preaching. Why am I not on board?

Not only am I not on board. I would be happy to see the NIV sail into the sunset if it could be replaced by the ESV as the standard preaching, reading, memorizing Bible of the English-speaking church. I feel so strongly about this that I volunteered to do this tonight before I was asked. There is no coercion here. I feel what I am about to say with a passion built up over 25 years. I have longed that there be something more readable than the NASB and more literal than the NIV. The NIV is a paraphrase with so much unnecessary rewording and so much interpretation that I could not preach from it.

Now let me say again that the NIV is the precious Word of God. Oh, how careful we must be not to belittle the Word of God. And yet we must not put any human translation above criticism. God has used the NIV to bring millions of people to faith in Christ. But at the same time I believe there have been negative effects that could be avoided. My biggest concern has to do with preaching. When a paraphrase becomes the standard preaching, reading, memorizing Bible of the church, preaching is weakened—robust expository exultation in the pulpit is made more difficult. Preaching that gives clear explanations and arguments from the wording of specific Biblical texts tends to be undermined when a Bible paraphrases instead of preserving the original wording on good English. And when that kind of preaching is undermined, the whole level of Christian thinking in the church goes down, and a Bible-saturated worldview is weakened, and the ability of the people—and even the pastors themselves-to root their thoughts and affections in firm Biblical ground diminishes.

The English Standard Version

My aim tonight is to help you be persuaded that exposing millions of people (pastors, teachers, students, laypeople) to the ESV would undo the dominance of the NIV and put in its place a more literal, and yet a beautifully readable, memorizable Bible—the English Standard Version. And this would be a good thing.

In the following examples of NIV paraphrasing compared to the more literal ESV there are four convictions at stake.

1. A more literal translation respects the original author's way of writing. It is a way of honoring the inspired writers.

2. Translators are fallible and they may mislead the English reader if they use unnecessary paraphrases to bring out one possible meaning and conceal others.

3. A more literal translation gives preachers more confidence that they can preach what the English text says with authority that it reflects what the original Greek or Hebrew text says.

4. A more literal translation which preserves ambiguities that are really there in the original keeps open the possibility of new insight by future Bible readers.

I do not claim that the ESV is without its own level of "paraphrasing." Some will always be necessary. And there will always be disagreements about how much is necessary. I am simply arguing that the ESV is the best balance available of readability and literalness. I hope that it becomes the standard for the church.

Appendix 1: Examples of NIV Paraphrasing Compared to the More Literal ESV (Compiled April 11, 2003)

Romans 1:5

ESV Through [Christ] we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith (hupakoen pisteos) for the sake of his name among all the nations.

NIV Through him and for his name's sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.

Romans 3:20

ESV By works of the law (ex ergon nomou) no human being will be justified in his sight.

NIV No one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law.

Romans 11:11

ESV Did they stumble in order that they might fall (hina pesosin)? By no means!

NIV Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all!

Romans 13:8

ESV Owe no one anything (Medeni meden opheilete), except to love each other.

NIV Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another.

Hebrews 6:1

ESV . . . not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works (nekron ergon)

NIV . . . not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death.

James 2:12

ESVSo speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty (nomou eleutherias).

NIVSpeak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom.

1 Peter 1:20

ESV He was foreknown (proegnosmenou) before the foundation of the world.

NIV He was chosen before the creation of the world.

Appendix 2: Two Examples of the Effect on Preaching

John 11:1-6

ESV Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent to him, saying, "Lord, he whom you love is ill." 4 But when Jesus heard it he said, "This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it." 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, (oun) when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.

NIV Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. 3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick." 4 When he heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it." 5 Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.

NOTE: It is impossible to make the point from the NIV that Jesus' delay is an expression of love for Mary and Martha and Lazarus, and thus draw out the point that love sometimes does hard things because seeing the glory of God is a more precious gift than being sick or even dead.

Romans 8:35-36

ESV Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? (36) As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed (thanatoumetha) all the day long."

NIVWho shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long."

NOTE: From the NIV translation one could argue from a health, wealth, and prosperity "gospel" that "famine and nakedness" will not happen to God's children (as they seem to in verse 35) because the Old Testament support that Paul quotes in verse 36 only says "we face death," but not that we really "are being killed." So the paraphrase "face death" removes an utterly crucial argument that Paul gave and that the preacher needs to make the true point that true Christians really do get killed and really do face famine and nakedness.

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© Desiring God

Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be approved by Desiring God.

Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org

4 Maxwell House 10-12oz cans and 5 lbs of sugar for $3.16

Go here to see how to get this great deal.
I'm going to try find my coupon in my Kraft food magazine to make this deal even better!

Past weekend

I bought the boys matching sweaters to wear to church this winter. I think they're super cute. :-)


Friday night was the Engelsma Christmas party. They boys were part of a gift exchange so they were super excited about their new toys and stayed up until almost 11. When we went to check on them before we went to bed, we found...

that they had both climbed into Andrew's bed together and were sharing a pillow!

$5 photo mug at photoworks.com TODAY only

Use code '5DOLLARMUG' to get a photo mug for $5 plus free shipping today only at Photoworks. You can order more than one mug but need to do separate orders.

Dresser for sale

We want this out of our garage! $50 OBO (I know the owner, I can cut you a deal. :-) )

Grandma and Grandpa VT 60th Anniversary

Here's a few pics from my grandparents 60th anniversary party...


Grandma and Grandpa with their 5 children and spouses.

All of the grandkids with spouses and great-grandkids. They have 9 great-grandchildren with 2 more on the way.

Noah, with the food, which was absolutely delicious. Courtesy of Aunt Laurie and family.

Congratulations Gramps and Granny!