Christmas is ...

When I was growing up, Christmas meant waking up early and rushing to wake my parents up without sneaking a glance at the tree.  This is my first Christmas as a married man, a father, and it is completely different on this side of the tree.  We have Christ's love in our hearts and a true desire for His grace and His mercy to fall upon each of us.  But we don't have a tree.

The funny thing about the tree ... in our home, we don't see it as honoring Christ.  In its own way we see it as a kind of worshipesque symbol of Christmas itself.  I see that each of us has our own walk - and that walk is magnified during Christmas.

I also find it interesting that discussing this private aspect of our lives is hard.  It is hard to put forth these statements upon a blog, knowing that others may potentially read them.  But the truth is something, when properly dispensed in a balanced manner, that is priceless.

But the one thing that most struck me on this fine, early Christmas morning, is how much I love my family.  It is easy to miss - and most of the time it is like a warm blanket that coats everything, obviously there but easily missed.  I don't always feel it.  Kind a like the difference between mountain top and valley bottom walks with Christ, there is an odd valence to some days that make each resonate with their own "feeling".

So today I feel closer to my wife, my son, and who God wants me to be than I normally do.  And as a result I feel closer to God.

Because, for me, that is what Christmas is really about.

It is about a kind of rekindling who Christ is to you, who you are in Christ, and the glory of being and doing who you are in His will.

He is the master conductor.  We are his orchestra.

And we are made to dance.

Change is

December 2008

Sooo much has changed since last I posted - here is some updates

(0)
Our walk with Christ has been changing - and I'm fighting to give God the glory.
The fact is that none of us can succeed without His presence within our lives. Fight to choose him!

(1)
We moved!
Before Pic:


After pic:


Before was a townhouse - we were sooo blessed by the corner lot. It gave us a little more room and made moving in and out a whole lot easier. Both pictures were taken from Google Maps, which explains the mower in the before-pic and the truck in the after-pic. Also - the trees suggested by the shading on the truck were also removed - so that place on our lot is quite bald!
The after home is a rancher - a little less room on a half-acre lot. Soo much room!!
God is so faithful!

(2)
Peter has been growing! He can almost walk - backward!
He has his own face-book page (link).
And he is a continual delight to the both of us.

(3)
I'm in the middle of my second semester at Thomas Edison State College (link).
It's been an interesting thing - to juggle work, school, baby, wife, and house. Almost sounds like a modified rock-paper-scissors game.

(4)
Ruth and I are participating in our own version of the Biggest Loser.
If you wish details, please ask us in person ... or we may have a blog up about it.
Last week was our first week and team Cooper lost 19 pounds!

(5)
Ruth and I have been taking ballroom dancing!
We've learned some steps from Foxtrot, Swing, Waltz, Rumba, Tango, and one other that does not come to mind at the moment.
Other than swing, they seem to all fall into variations of a kind of square dance.
Perhaps there is an alternation of quick to slow, maybe a bending of the knee, but the basic flow is almost identical to each.
... Maybe I need to practice more ... they're not properly differentiated to me yet. Still - it's been fun and great exercise!

(6)
I continue to misspell practice and presence.
Hopefully I'll now get them right:
both end in "C" and that'll be enough for me.

(7)
I learned that FreeRice.com (link) has more settings than simply vocabulary.
This is a site that I thought initially held only vocabulary words - until I realized there are other options. It's a cyclic quizzing site and correct answers reward "the hungry with rice" (see site for details - it is interesting nonetheless) and found that correct answers can be in English vocabulary, English grammar, countries of the world, works of art, and really - not a profoundly large smattering, but enough that I think a visit to the site is worth a mention.

(8)
Well that's enough - hopefully I can get into the habit of sharing once a week

and last, and certainly least:
Here are the top 10 ways to amuse a geek
1. Make a list of the top 10 ways to amuse a geek.
2. Use binary.


May the holidays draw you closer to Christ!

How much of our crying out to the Lord is vanity?

:- Peter
Peter has been growing so very, very fast. I don't have great recollection of any particular day, but it is amazing to me how much he's grown since I first held him, an hour after he was born, less than two months ago.

:- General
Growth is painful, as are the transitions between growth spurts. Ruth has shared that she remembers growing. I don't recall anything close to that ... but growing, regardless of context, is hard. It's hard for cities, it's hard for companies, and it's hard for people.

:- Ruth
Ruth has been doing wonderfully. She is becoming increasingly aware of her fitness needs and I have heard her plan. She put in for two part-time jobs: newspaper delivery driver and Trader magazine (Friday Only) delivery driver. We're getting rid of the credit cards!!! She also has an accountability coach, which is always encouraging. Her birthday is on Monday!! I already planned a small surprise - I anticipate she'll like it :)

:- General
Being a father is very eye-opening. I know it's cliche ... but you have a much clearer understanding of what God sacrificed when He gave His only begotten son. In addition, you see how much He wants to give us good things, and most of the time we're whining. Simply whining. All is vanity says the preacher. This applies even to heart-felt worship. If God didn't guide your heart to do it, even if you were focused on God, it's likely it's a form of vanity.

:- Jason
House purchase moving forward, settlement date seems to be end of September.
Classes are progressing nicely - have an appointment with adviser in early September and should start up new classes cleanly. Also, no word on amount or degree of corporate reimbursement, but any would help knock out the credit.
We also have a budget. Dave Ramsey Rocks!!

Bye Ya'll!

First post

This is the first post for the Cooper family.

Pictures, thoughts, and considerations posted.

Perhaps a touch of salt.