Large Family Idiosyncrasies: Counting Noses

Idiosyncrasy #2: The Seat Belt Check

"Seat belts!" Dad (or Mom) calls from the front of the van.

"Andrew's seat belt on."
"Sarah's seat belt on."
"Margaret's seat belt on."
"Rebekah's seat belt on."
"Maxwell's seat belt on."
"David's seat belt on."
"Tabitha's seat belt on."
"Marta's seat belt on."
"William's seat belt on."
"Samuel's seat belt on."

*slight pause*
"Is Samuel's seat belt really on?"
(quick visual check) "Yes!"
"Do the little boys have shoes on?"
"Yes."
-----
This is our ritual every time we go somewhere in our big white van. It's different now, of course, with the two top names dropped off, but I'm sure they still run through the rest of this procedure. (Right, Mom?) The "seat belt check", as we call it, accomplishes several objectives in a short time:

1. It ensures that everyone in the van is wearing their seat belt. (As you would guess.)

2. It also ensures that everyone who is supposed to be in the van is, indeed, in the van. If there is a gap in the list of names, the only proper way to proceed is after Mom or Dad have verified, "Maxwell is not here," which means that person has leave to be absent. Otherwise, we stop until we have located the missing person and they are buckled into their seat.

This second objective is just one part of a larger group of big family idiosyncrasies, which all revolve around not losing children. I may mention some of the other ways we accomplish this in future posts.

3. It functions as the last call for "going ashore", ie. friends and relations that are not supposed to be in the van have to get out.

4. It is an exercise in cooperation.

Siblings may not say their own seat belt is on until the person just before them has said it. Siblings may not poke other siblings to get them to say their seat belt is on faster, nor may they say someone else's seat belt for them, unless they have parental permission (as in the case of a buddy who is too young to talk.) You may not yell or whisper that your seat belt is on, but must say it clearly enough to be heard all the way in the front of the van. It is amazing how much these few, reasonable rules bring out sin nature that needs to be addressed.

5. It is useful to tack things on to. Remember the end of the ritual? What do the little boys' shoes have to do with seat belts? Well, I invented that bit a couple years ago, because during the summer they were constantly getting to church with no shoes on, despite our clear rules to the contrary. Because the seat belt check is always the same, and already in place, it was easier to remember to check the boys' shoes if I just tacked it on the end of that. Other inquiries could also be tacked onto the seat belt check as needed, such as "Do you all have coats on?" or "Does anyone need coffee?"

Another added benefit to this system is the fact that it always amuses guests who ride in our van. We had one Japanese exchange student who would take a video recording every time we went through it. Funny it may seem, but it is a very useful habit, that should be more widely adopted.

Christian Oneness

Eph. 4:1-6 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

In Sunday school this week, we were talking about Christian unity. The first three verses of Ephesians four explain how to have unity—being lowly, gentle, longsuffering, and loving—and in the next three verses Paul reminds us why we should have unity: because we ARE one, and God is one. 

Our "homework assignment" was to look up verses that back up each phrase of verses 4-6, and since I enjoyed the mini-study this turned into, I wanted to share it. I'll try not to add much commentary, lest this post should become unmanageable, but...no promises. I put some of the words in bold to highlight how they support the original phrase.

One body: This is a favorite idea of Paul's, so it was quite easy to think of many verses! I picked just a few:

Rom. 12:4-5 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.

1 Cor. 12:12-13 For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.

1 Cor 12:20 But now indeed there are many members, yet one body.

Col. 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.

One Spirit: 

1 Cor 12:13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.

Eph. 2:18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

Phil. 1:27 Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel,

One hope of our calling: 

For this one, I focused more on finding verses that explained what this "hope" of our calling is exactly. Our calling, of course, is become more like Christ and preach the gospel. But what are we "expecting and desiring to happen" that makes us follow this calling?

Tit. 1:2 in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began,

Tit. 2:13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,

Col. 1:27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Eph. 1:18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,

One Lord:

Deut. 6:4 “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!

1Cor. 8:6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.

1Cor. 12:5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord.

One faith:

2Cor. 4:13 And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak,

Phil. 1:27 Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel,

Gal. 3:7-8 Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.”

Eph. 4:13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

One baptism:

Acts 2:38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

1Cor. 1:12-13 Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

1Cor. 12:13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.

Rom. 6:4-5 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection,

One God and Father of all:

Matt. 23:9 Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.

1Cor. 8:4 Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one.

Gal. 3:20 Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one.

1Tim. 2:5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,

James 2:19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!

• who is above all: 
• 1 Chron. 29:11 Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, The power and the glory, The victory and the majesty; For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, And You are exalted as head over all.

• Psa 96:4 For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods.

• Eph 1:20-22 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church,

• through all:
• Rom. 11:36 For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.

• and in you all:

• 2Cor. 13:5 Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.

• Col. 1:27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

• 1Pet. 5:14 Greet one another with a kiss of love. ¶ Peace to you all who are in Christ Jesus. Amen.

• 1John 4:13-15 By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.

Warbling Wednesday Week 3

Still not Wednesday. However.

This week's winner is: Say Something by Christina Aguilera

One of my ten-yearold students is learning this piano solo arrangement of the song:

Here is a live version in Seattle that has the words with it as well (by Pentatonix)

I have had this stuck in my head on and off for a few weeks now, actually, except I only knew the first line, which, as all of you know, gets old very quickly. The aforementioned student and I were working on it this week's lesson, though, so I now know the first verse or so. 

At this point I feel like I should make the disclaimer that this is the only current "love song" that I know. The rest I am aware of were popular when my Mom and Dad were in high school. My "with it" status is pretty much limited to the knowledge that Piano Guys exist, and the vague idea that ankle boots are in right now. I don't have any, but other people do and there seem to be a lot in shoe stores at the moment, so I am assuming that is the case.

Large Family Idiosyncrasies: Picture Proof

Large Family Idiosyncrasy #1: The Towel Mug Shot.

Has your family ever run out of bath towels? On a Saturday, with three or four people yet to shower by the next day, having all the towels in a damp, crumpled heap on the laundry room floor is a catastrophe of no small order.

How is such a state possible? Buy enough towels for the family! Take note when the supply of clean towels is running low, and make sure to start a load of laundry. This sounds like a simple solution, but let me assure you, large families are never simple.

For one thing, we have plenty of towels. In fact, they are divided between three locations, because we have too many to fit into one cupboard. An unfortunate side effect of this arrangement is that we are seldom aware of exactly how many clean towels are available for use. To further complicate the situation, children seem to have an idea that towels are sentient beings that will pick themselves up off the bathroom floor, drag themselves into the laundry room, wash, dry and fold themselves, and place themselves back in the cupboard. Numerous attempts to disabuse them of this notion have met with indifferent success.

After facing the frustration of an empty towel cupboard with increasing frequency as more children attained an age when they needed to shower every day, necessity drove us to a creative solution: towel mug shots.

We put all the towels in the house into one pile, had each child select one, and snapped a picture. This, then, was to be their towel for a week, during which time they were in charge of keeping it in a safe place, drying it out between uses in whatever fashion recommended itself to their ingenuity, and only at the end of an entire week was it to go into the wash.

The system has two features in particular to recommend it. First, it encourages multiple uses in between washings. My siblings had gotten into the habit of throwing their towels in the laundry after every shower, which placed our laundry routine under an unsustainable strain. Second, it allows the more finicky children to have confidence that their towel has not been smeared with toothpaste or used to mop puddles of water off the floor in their absence, since they can keep it in their room rather than the bathroom.

This method has worked fairly well for a few months now, though I do not know how much it is still enforced. The kids will have to be reminded of the rules every once in a while, of course. My towel, in case you were wondering, was green and blue striped—quite distinctive—and there is a mug shot of me with it, but since this is my post, I have suppressed the evidence.