Bettina and her cherubs are here!  Three and a half days of visiting and games and movies and TV series and bible reading and praying and hymns and all sorts of glorious things.

Of course, her cherubs had to destroy something straight off.  It always works that way, within a short time, they remind me in some fashion we should not hold our possessions dear.  SIGH.

They, of course, came with many hugs, so what does it matter?

Kashi is most excited to have his beloved Aunt Bettina here and has enjoyed frolicking with her cherubs.  He tires out most easily, but practically dragged us all about the neighborhood twice when we ventured out.  Poor puppydog, he has only been walked twice since I came down with the flu and then the asthma debacle.

Tomorrow, we are all taking Kashi for his acupuncture and for Sam to have a doctor visit.  My birdie has a red nose, which is a sign of impending ill health.  He is FORBIDDEN to get sick.  Can you imagine Bettina, her two cherubs, Kashi, Madeleine, Sam, and I all crammed into an exam room together?  What joy!

The best part, thus far, has not been that Bettina taught me a new game and then promptly beat me three times out of four or that she beat me three times in a row in Rumikub...but that Bettina and I talked Lutheranism for many, many hours.  This time, I actually managed to make the weeist bit of sense when trying to explain the differences between Lutheranism and Protestantism, especially the Baptist church, and some of the proper distinction of Law and Gospel...the difference between receptive spirituality of Luther and the reflective faith of Calvin.


Bettina, most magnificent woman that she is, brought with her the movie Luther!  I did not know such a thing existed.  She found it in a room at her Baptist church and was so surprised that she "borrowed" it so that we could watch it together.  Throughout the movie, she kept asking who this person was or that person.  Trust me, I know far, far too little about Lutheranism and Lutheran history.  Still, I savored the opportunity to watch the movie with her.

I did not particularly care for how Ralph Fiennes portrayed Luther's anguish of soul, making him seem a bit crazy.  Despairing about your faith, assailed by doubts, is not craziness.  In some ways, given our sinful condition, it is the very definition of sanity.  We are such miserable, wretched, snake spit sinners.  How could we ever, in a million years, believe that the Lord of all Creation would send His Son to die for us so that we might have life?

Much of the movie had bits and pieces of which I questioned the validity.  I hesitate to write of one, because I would prefer not to have it dispelled as myth.  But when Luther was despairing to his father confessor, he told Luther to pray:  I am Yours.  Save me! 

So much in those words!  Are they not the same as praying Lord, I believe.  Help my unbelief!?

I am Yours.  I am Yours because you put your Name on me, because You saved me, because You loved me enough to make me Your dear child.  I am Yours, not satan's.  I am Yours because You called me, claimed me, and do not let me go. 

Save me.  Save me because I cannot help myself, because I am weak, because satan casts all his dominion against me, because I am Yours.  Save me because You can.



I am Yours.  Save me!