Dancing, Drama, Faith

*1*

We continue to work on our front porch. We've made enough progress to actually sit on it. It's been wonderful. I will post pictures but there are still a bunch of details to finish up and complete so it might be some days yet. The contractors ripped off the siding and the vapor lock where the new built in lockers go. Undoubtedly to make a smooth surface on which to attach the lockers. Viking Man, Feeche and I have been cutting new trim and stapling plastic to cover the 80+ year old tar paper because, while the locker attaches just right to the wall, the tar paper look is a bit dated.

*2*
Nightly thunderstorms necessitating moving everything we are working on in the yard (yes, we look like a flea market) to the porch each evening. This has caused some issues with the newly painted wood floor on the porch.

I dance. Really. It's a 2:1 or a 1:2 step. Two steps forward, 1 back. Or vice-versa, depending on the day, week, situation.

*3*

Finished Little House in the Big Woods and started Little House on the Prarie (Thanks, Marsh. Flower has LOVED them!). Took the kids to the Laura Ingalls Wilder Pageant in DeSmet. It was very mediocre. I hate to say it but there it is. The evening weather on the plains was delightful and DeSmet has a very western feel to it...more so even than where we live. But the show was so poorly acted, the reading so cut that the kids wanted to leave early. Sad to say, but we did.

*4*

KB has been into nail art this week.  My nails have never, literally, never, looked this good. In addition my hair is woven, my brows waxed, my hands dipped (ohlala!), my nails manicured, my feet buffed. Love, love, love the hair. I hate sitting in a beautician's chair. Really.hate.it. But went on a Sat and KB and only 4 other gals were there for the afternoon so we basically had the place to ourselves. I actually took a nap, we laughed and drank very bad coffee and had a grand time.

*5*

Finally getting around to ordering curriculum for fall. I am compiling a list of books on tape for our twice a week drive to and from town. I would LOVE to hear your favs. Not only the books, but who the are read by.

Still can't decide on history for Feeche. I want to the do 20th century in books and movies or a grand tour of world history. Feeche just wants to do lit and read. Hmph.

*6*

Feeche and I are listening to Bonhoeffer's Life Together. Miss. R left a CD here a couple of weeks ago. It is terrific. The intro alone is a very fascinating look at Bonhoeffer's extraordinary life, his deliberate decision to go back to Germany to encourage the persecuted church under the Nazi reign.

Viking Man recently did some research in the Ten Boom family and there were 10 Ten Booms that were quite active in hiding Jews during the occupation of Holland. The entire Ten Boom family had a clear mandate to live their faith with conviction and fervor. I think of the power of family when we read about how Jesus calls brothers and nephews to be disciples. I want to meet the parents of the Sons of Thunder and the grandparents of some of these men. The power of legacy.

*7*

Speaking of drama and faith, my friend Nancy forwarded this fantastic piece of chuch history.

The Heavenly Comedian
Saint Genesius (feast day: August 25)

Church history shows again and again how God can touch the hearts of men in the most unexpected ways, and the story of Saint Genesius the Comedian demonstrates this well. Genesius was the leader of a theatrical troupe at the time of the Roman Emperor Diocletian, who instigated the most severe persecutions of Christians at the beginning of the 4th century. Hearing that the emperor was coming to town, Genesius prepared a comic satire against the Christians for his entertainment.

At the start of the play Genesius lay down on the stage as if sick. Two other actors asked what ailed him. Genesius said he felt a great weight that he wanted removed. Hence, two other actors, dressed as a priest and exorcist, were called in. They asked what the protagonist wanted. He replied, "A baptism."At this point, Genesius actually saw the holy angels, and moved by this vision answered the questions for his mock baptism in earnest. The other actors continued the jest and baptized him. Then Genesius openly described the angelic vision and declared his faith in the very Christ whom he had previously mocked. Enraged, Diocletian had him turned over to the prefect of the 

praetorium, who tortured him in an effort to force him to sacrifice to the pagan gods. When Saint Genesius persisted in his new-found faith, he was beheaded.

Today we don't need to look far to find those who mock Christian faith in any of its forms. By the prayers of Saint Genesius may they too be touched by God's grace and have a godward change of heart!