I Am a Christian

I have come to dislike most denominational and doctrinal labels, and I am especially reluctant to label myself, especially since I don't really fit any category perfectly.

I attend an Episcopalian church. It's kind of a joint Lutheran (ELCA)/Episcopalian church, but it considers itself Episcopalian. I like the people. I like the emphasis on social justice. I like the liturgical style of worship. I don't mind real bread and wine at communion. However, I don't believe in sacraments. I don't think Jesus causes bread and wine to become his literal body and blood. I don't think that communion imparts grace. I don't believe that infant baptism saves a person; I think a person must choose to be a Christian. Now, I don't know that God doesn't work through sacraments. He can do whatever he wants. I just don't believe that that's how God works. But I go to an Episcopalian church because the Episcopalians don't care if I believe in sacraments. I am a Christian, and that's good enough for them to accept me. And that's why I attend an Episcopalian church.

I used to work at a Lutheran Church (ELCA). During the years I worked at at Lutheran Church in Wisconsin, I didn't actually attend church. And the Lutherans didn't mind that I didn't go to church. They were also very accepting, very loving people. They are very serious about the Bible, which I like, but a little hung up on Martin Luther, which I didn't like so much. Like the Episcopalians, they're sacramental, so I don't agree with everything they believe; but I love the Lutherans.

I grew up in the Assemblies of God. I still consider myself Pentecostal (the Episcopalians don't mind that either). There are many things about my fundamentalist Pentecostal upbringing that I appreciate. Years of Sunday School and Bible Quiz have given me a solid knowledge of the Bible. A/G education is excellent. It made sure I knew what I believed and why. Some of what I believe has changed, but I know why, and that knowing why comes from growing up A/G.

I'm glad for the wide variety of experiences I've had with Christians. Although I don't agree about everything with all of them (Who could?), I am trying to live in unity with all of them just as Jesus prayed in John 17.

Lucy Can

Lucy is now a big 17 month old. She can...

• reach things stacked on top of other things on the table. She doesn't have to climb to get to things that are on the edge of the kitchen counters. Nothing is safe.

• pee in the Mickey Mouse potty seat Kristin gave us.  We're pre-potty-training. When we change Lucy's clothes, she sits on the potty seat. I didn't expect Lucy to pee in the potty yet, but she has done it twice. 

• disassemble and reassemble the potty seat. It's her favorite puzzle.

• request pain medication when needed. She asked for ibuprofen a couple times recently while teething. The first time she pointed to the place where we keep her medicine; in fact, she pointed to the exact drawer when I picked her up to get a better idea what she was pointing at. When I handed her the bottle, she pointed at the cap. I wasn't sure if she wanted it because she was in pain or because she likes the flavor, but I decided to give her some just in case. Then later she woke up in the middle of the night crying, "Daddy! Daddy!" Matt was flattered that she called for him and went in to comfort her. We were confused when she pushed him away. I realized that when she wakes up in the night needing medicine I take her to Matt. She normally takes her medicine happily but not at night. I hold her down while Matt squirts the medicine into her mouth. So if she calls for Matt at night, she might be asking for him to give her medicine. Sure enough, Matt gave her medicine, and she went right back to sleep. I told Matt later that our baby was displaying drug-seeking behavior. :) She hasn't asked since then, so I think she knew what she needed to make her feel better and did her best to communicate it. I found that pretty impressive for a 16 month old.

• put an animal puzzle together mostly by herself. It was the kind of puzzle that has an indentation for each piece, not the kind with interlocking pieces, a very beginner puzzle. She put all of the pieces in the right spot, but she didn't turn them so that they fit snugly. I was pretty excited. I've been trying to do puzzles with her for months, and she didn't seem to get it. This time she picked up the puzzle on her own and put it together.

• point to body parts on herself, other people, and stuffed animals. She mostly knows parts of the face, but she also knows belly, belly button, and toes.

• use her limited words pretty effectively. She is still obsessed with her belly button, and while I was changing her diaper the other day, she kept poking her belly button and saying, "button, button, button." But she also knows that buttons are the things you push on the phone and TV remote. Yesterday I took her and her breakfast to the living room during Sesame Street as I usually do, but I hadn't turned the TV on yet. Lucy pointed to where we keep the remotes, and said, "Dat button!" I was really impressed.

• drink from a cup and eat with a fork. Spoons still give her some trouble. I only give her a cup when I can supervise her. She likes to put food in her cup or pour out any water she doesn't want.

• brush her teeth and wash her face. She needs some help to be thorough, but she likes to do it for herself.

• get into the refrigerator by herself. She is learning not to do it. For a while, I knew she was hungry when she would throw a container of yogurt at me.

• get into the trash. Most of the time she takes things out of the trash. She took a dried up block of cheese out of the trash and started eating it. But today she threw away her diaper after I changed her. So maybe she's learning the right way to interact with the trash can.

• go to sleep without nursing to sleep. She still thinks she needs to nurse, so I've been nursing her. But if she stops nursing and gets up to play, she doesn't get to nurse some more. She has to go to sleep with mama cuddles instead of milk. And she's been OK with that. My attempt to get her to nap with absolutely no nursing has not been as successful yet.

• sleep by herself most of the night. I lie down with her to get her to sleep. Unless she's teething or sick, she only wakes once at night when she needs me to comfort her. She wakes more often than that, but she's able to get herself back to sleep most of the time.