Lauren's Wedding 4.3.09

My niece, Lauren, was married a few weeks ago. As soon as I found out she was engaged, and maybe even before, I declared myself her photographer.

I took over 700 shots. Of course, I worry a lot more about the ones that didn't turn out, rather than appreciate the ones that did.

This is one of those images that didn't seem to turn out. It was blown out and I was so disappointed because I really like it. But then I decided to just go with it.

I blew out the highlights even more and made it seem like they were in their own little world rather than a community center surrounded by hundreds of people.

Congratulations Lauren and Chris.

Shouldn't they be called "Most Wonderful Person on the Planet Jeans"?

I told Chandler that if she ever saw me wearing "Mom Jeans" or the equivalent, let me know.

Well that day has come.

My 14-year-old is now giving her mom fashion advice. She recently, very gently, told me that if the yoga pants I was wearing were jeans, they would be Mom Jeans.

So now I'm looking for a cool, hip pair of sweats (seems a bit of an oxymoron).

But that got me thinking about the term "Mom Jeans". I agree that they are not flattering and look dated. I just hate that term. Why is it that outdated and unflattering got the name "Mom" attached to it.

I think us hard working moms deserve better. Why can't super-cute, very stylish jeans be called "Mom Jeans" and the frumpy ones be called... something else. I can't think of anything clever off the top of my head, but I know we moms have to band together and fight this attack on our basic coolness.

Moms make the world go round. We deserve better.

This is why I don't pick books for my book club

I love to read. Most of my sentences start with, "I just read..." My taste in books is very eclectic and I love both fiction and non-fiction. But when my book club called to say it was my time to pick, out of mercy for them, I declined. You see, here's what currently on my nightstand.

Inside the Revolution: How the Followers of Jihad, Jefferson & Jesus Are Battling to Dominate the Middle East and Transform the World is the book I just finished, but I have When Skateboards Will Be Free: A Memoir of a Political Childhood, Meltdown: A Free-Market Look at Why the Stock Market Collapsed, the Economy Tanked, and Government Bailouts Will Make Things Worse, and A Slobbering Love Affair: The True (And Pathetic) Story of the Torrid Romance Between Barack Obama and the Mainstream Media coming up. I don't think anyone in my book club would appreciate me picking any of these.

This book has made a huge impact on me and I highly recommend it.

It starts with a very scary section on the Radicals of Islam and their plan for violent world domination. We in the west are completely blinded to their murderous agenda, yet we have only to listen to what they are saying. Iran has pledged to gain nuclear weapons and has promised time and again to use them against Israel first and then us.

To which western scholars scoff and say he must be bluffing. Surely Iran knows that they can't win that game. After all, they aren't suicidal, right? Yes, they are. It is almost impossible for secular analysts to comprehend the motivating power of religious fervor. People have sacrificed their lives for religious beliefs all throughout history. We make the mistake of believing that humanity has somehow moved beyond this at our own peril.

The next sections details the efforts of the Reformers to preserve "true Islam" and make it a religion of peace and tolerance. They are seeing remarkable success in such places as Morocco and Jordan. This part of the book began to offer some hope for a future not determined by the mad mullahs of Iran. It also offers a huge opportunity for sharing the gospel of Christ to one of the most hopeless areas in the world.

Finally, in the most exciting and moving section, Joel details story after story of Muslims and those born into a nominally Christian family in the Middle East turning to Christ in record numbers. The tales of "old men seeing vision and young men dreaming dreams" give you chills as you experience Biblical prophecies of the last days coming true, today. Time and again, Christians in the Middle East report that they don't even need to share the gospel. People are approaching them begging for Bibles and discipleship after seeing visions of Jesus!

That's right. Jesus is appearing to hundreds and thousands of people in the most closed societies on earth. If we can't get to them, He can. And this is no, "I saw a bright light at the end of my bed" type story. These people are having conversations with Christ, sometimes night after night, in which He is guiding them and teaching them the Word of God. And the conversions that result from these experiences do not produce fly-by-night believers. Rather, these are some of the most hard-core, committed Christians, many in hiding after having their lives threatened, yet they continue to boldly proclaim the truth of Jesus Christ.

I couldn't help but cry as I read story after story of Christ's miraculous saving grace. People who were hopeless and lost found truth and meaning. Many were former terrorists who laid down their weapons. Some were born into nominal Christian families but had no idea of what true Christianity was.

One particular story tells of two men, smuggling Bibles over dark mountain roads. For some reason, their car stops on the road and they get out to find an old man asking for the books they are supposed to be bringing to him. After stating they had no books, the man says that his entire village had a vision of Jesus the night before and He told them to go out on the road and wait for the books that were being delivered. So he asked again, "Where are the books?" An entire village, saved and just waiting for Bibles to be miraculously delivered to them!

Another story points the readiness of fields ripe for the harvest. A Christian pastor went to the doctor and the radical Muslim receptionist told him his wait would be extremely long. After telling her she would regret that, he takes a seat. A few minutes later, the doctor happens to notice him and says, "Hi Reverend, I'll be with you soon." Once the other 15-20 people heard he was a Christian pastor, they all begged him to tell them about Jesus! He led the entire waiting room to Christ. Finally he looked at the receptionist and said, "I told you that you would regret it."

I don't want to rewrite the whole book. Joel Rosenberg does a pretty good job of it for himself. But I do want to encourage you that if you are wondering where the world is headed, READ THIS BOOK!

Karla and Daniel's Wedding

Several years ago, when Tim and I were leading a Life Group for our old church, Karla approached me and asked if she and her friend Valerie could come to our group. Well, it wasn't a closed, invitation-only group, so of course it was fine. But I had to wonder why a couple of early twenties, still in college girls would want to be in our group. Our group was older singles and married couples for the most part. And there was already a very popular college age group. I was nervous she would regret it her first night.

But they came. We had a bar-be-que that first night to celebrate the beginning or the end of summer. I don't remember which. During the course of the evening, Valerie had to jump in our pond to save a small child from drowning! So much for first impressions.

Maybe it was the great food, or the sense that if they didn't come each week children might die, but for some reason, they stayed.

What a blessing! I have never had the privilege to know two girls so committed to Christ at such a young age as Valerie and Karla. Their faith was unbelievable. Karla would tell us stories each week of people she had prayed for on the campus of Long Beach State. She once felt led to pray for a girl that had broken her leg. And a report came back that it was healed!

Then I found out that Karla was homeschooled all the way through 12th grade! Her mom became my hero, and Karla became my poster child. I saw Karla and prayed my girls would end up with even half her faith and devotion to Christ. She continually amazed me week after week with her maturity and insight and wisdom. She put grown ups to shame with her trust in God.

She moved home to Los Angeles after graduating and decided to go to Africa for a 6 month mission project (see what I mean about unbelievable faith.) So obviously she couldn't attend our group anymore. That was a big blow.

But when she came back from Africa, she announced she was dating someone and it was serious. I knew he had to be someone amazing to even earn a few minutes of her time. She's quite committed to the work of the Lord and has no time for silly, inconsequential stuff.

We attended their wedding on Saturday. It was an amazing, Christ-centered affair. With Karla, there would not have been a choice. It was the first contact we had had with Daniel, as he lives in South Dakota, but I have to say I was enormously impressed. He's a male Karla! Their love for the Lord was so obvious and beautiful. It made their love for each other that much more sweet.

I pray that God would shower them with blessings. Make them successful in whatever they do. Lead them and guide them. My heart is bursting with happiness for them and I continue to pray my own girls will have a similar story.

Congratulations Daniel and Karla.

George Will on denim

I recently got into a discussion about appropriate clothing to wear to church. One pastor had taken the position that he wore suits to show his respect for God. (I guess he doesn't respect God that much or he would have worn a tuxedo.)

My view holds that it is what is in your heart, not on your body, that matters.

Then George Will, a columnist whom I respect a lot, comes out with this article on wearing jeans. I was wearing jeans while reading it and began to get a little uncomfortable. He makes some good points that sound a little too much like something I might say. Not that I have ever thought much about jean wearers, but I do think a little too much about what various aspects our culture say about us, and where they are leading.

George Will believes that wearing jeans shows us to be a group whose development was arrested at age ten. We try hard to look like the hard-working people they were created for without actually getting our hands dirty.

Here is my favorite line: Denim is the carefully calculated costume of people eager to communicate indifference to appearances.

I'm not about to give up my jeans, but that line does sound an awful lot like something I would say.

So now back to what you wear to church. I still believe that it is what is on the inside that matters. Jesus tells us this when he calls the Pharisees whitewashed tombs. They looked good on the outside, but were dead on the inside.

But sometimes, as George Will would point out, the outside says something about the inside.

New Garden

I have finally finished planting my new garden!

I can't wait for everything to grow and fill in and grow up. We put a small patio area in the middle of it. For now, it's exposed, but my plan is for the plants to branch up and create a garden room. I've already spent time out there with my book and I love it!

A few years back, I found these white arbors, cheap. So I bought two! We used one right away in the entrance to our backyard, but this one never really found a home. So this was the perfect place for it.

Here is my wonderful sitting area. Just picture me, my iced tea, and a book!

The birds are loving this! And I love watching them.

I have done a lot of planting in the past around our house, and I'm very happy with the way they turned out. Here's my backyard...

here is my pond (the birds love this too!)

Hopefully my front yard will look this pretty! I'll have to update in the summer.

Are youth sports the devil's playground?

On Easter, we drove by our local park and like usual, there were a bunch of soccer players. Tim and I looked at each other and agreed that soccer is the devil's game.

This led to a later conversation about youth sports in general and the craziness that has sprung up around it, specifically. We agreed that things are very different today from when we were kids. Tim says he had one practice and one game a week, and never on Sundays. There were no traveling teams or insane parents. No career-ending injuries at age 10. No one talked about going pro or paying for college. Sports was for fun and exercise.

We started discussing the situation in which a child is very talented and a parent feels compelled to help them travel down that road as far as possible. What to do then? What if a child is not being pushed, but genuinely loves the sport? Is a college scholarship or professional career worth the family chaos and lack of ability to be in church together each week? Should the entire family make repeated sacrifices in their time and resources to cater to a child's hobby?

I came down as an emphatic, No.

It's not worth it.

The time parents invest in their child's sports activities could pay for college if spent in a part-time job instead. If you want your child to have college paid for, and you have hours and hours each week you are willing to cart them around to practices and games, work at McDonalds on nights and weekends. ($7.00 an hour/10 hours a week [2 practices and a game]/ 15 years from age 3 - 18 = $54,600. [That's a very simple estimate without factoring in interest or raises.])

But what about the other possibility? What if the extremely unlikely happens and your child could really go pro?

Well I read this the other day, "A recent Sports Illustrated story revealed that by the time they have been retired for two years, 78 percent of former NFL players have gone bankrupt or are suffering financial duress, and within five years of retirement, 60 percent of former NBA players are broke. Divorce rates among pro athlete are as high as 80 percent."

So for me, that answered the question. Even if your child has the potential to turn sports into a professional career, is it worth it then? If his odds are extremely high he'll end up bankrupt and divorced, is it worth it?

I don't see how.

Last Easter Themed Post

The tradition begun in 2000 continues...

I love that the girls have been decorating eggs with Dylan since they were tiny. I love that every year they WANT to do it. I love that even this year, when they are 14 and 12 they were asking if we were going to decorate eggs with Dylan.

But back then, after I had my second child, Regan, and Jenny just had Dylan, I knew someone was missing.

So this year, enter.... EMMA!

She finally got to take her rightful place in the Platt/Lasch Easter Egg Decorating and Hunt. It was a pure joy to watch her experience the magic of dying eggs for the first time.


She was so proud of all her hard work! She dyed, stuck on stickers, and colored with the white crayon and never got tired of it.


I got, by far, the most pictures of her! (You can tell who my favorite is!) I am just so amazed and thankful to have her in our life. She is such a blessing.

Of course, there were the usual kids there that day.

Dylan

Regan


and Chandler.

We also continued our on with our traditional egg hunt. Here they are in 2000.

Emma went up for her nap while the big kids hunted for eggs with clues inside them.

Although I am sad to see them growing up so fast, I'm very glad they retain their childlike innocence.

And I am so thankful I get to watch Emma grow up as well.

Easter Action Shots

Each Easter, my dad LOVES to get action shots of the egg toss.

So as promised, here is the winning catch.

and here is the victory dance!

and here are the winners posing for the press.

I love this particular shot. My brother-in-law, Scott, missed the egg, and it came hurtling toward me! You can see how bravely I reacted.

One other big event we do is the egg hunt. This year, I thought it might only be the little kids. We have 3 kids age 2 -4 in our family and I was sad thinking that would be it. But when I asked my kids if they wanted to hunt, I got a, "Heck, yes. Eggs, filled with candy?!? Of course!" I thought then it might be the little kids and my two big kids, but Jordan and Ashley saw the impeccable logic and jumped in as well.

I love this shot of them fighting their way out the door.


Chandler found what she was looking for!

But since the rules were that the big kids couldn't get any of the obvious eggs, the little kids cleaned up! Here is Caleb with his haul. I don't think his basket could hold another egg!

Thanks for the great shots, dad.

Another Easter at the Lasch house

Another year, another monster egg toss. This year, with the tree gone, our entire driveway was available for the toss. Justin and Brendan, kneeling in the front, walked away with a record breaking toss from the garage into the street (about 70 feet). I'm sure I'll have pictures of the winning catch soon.

This was another great year, surrounded by family and friends and WAY too much good food.

This was the first Easter since last Easter (I know that seems obvious, but last Easter is an Easter I don't want to repeat). The story of Christ's death and resurrection and the grace and mercy He has for me is especially meaningful this year. The lessons I have learned since last Easter are deep and meaningful and life-changing.

Thank you, Jesus, for the cross, for your death and resurrection. Thank you for loving me that much.

Thank you for Easter.

Easter with Jonah

One thing I enjoy about being part of Damascus Church is the opportunities I get to do design work. Here is one of my most recent projects advertising the sermon series on Jonah, which begins on Easter.

Being that it's Damascus, our pastor has to put his spin on it. He can't just do the normal thing. I'm looking forward to this study.

My tree ate my sprinklers

Yes, this gorgeous tree, that I planted, ate the sprinklers, that we installed.

I have no one to blame.

But once we realized that the sprinklers were shot, and the driveway was cracking, we knew it was a matter of time before it ate our house.

Now there was a time when that would not have been a bad thing, but now, I love my house.

So I gave the tree one more season to display it's stunning fall color, and then, bye-bye. So now the tree is gone and I'm left with a huge dirt area. I'd like to plant the whole area without any grass (I'm so DONE with grass. Fake grass, here I come!) So now I'm taking suggestions.

I need a small, beautiful tree that won't eat my house. I'm even thinking some kind of fruit tree. Also, I'm going to intermix fruits and vegetables in my garden - make it a real English country working garden. But this is all new to me.

So what should I plant? Suggestions for easy to grow, but not take-over-and-annoy-everyone-I-know-with-bags-of-zucchini, kinds of things to plant?

Guest post from Stuff Christians Like

Stuff Christians Like is one of my favorite blogs. He is very funny and insightful when he gently and humorously turns the spot light onto us Christians.

But today, when I read his blog, I just burst into tears. It was so amazing, so full of wisdom, so beautiful, I had to steal it. (That would be the Christian thing to do after all.)

So here in the words of Jon Acuff:

I don't want to brag, but I'm pretty awesome at applying band-aids. And make no mistake, there is an art. Because if you go too quickly and unpeel them the wrong way, they stick to themselves and you end up with a wadded up useless mess instead of the Little Mermaid festooned bandage your daughter so desperately wants to apply to a boo boo that may in fact be 100% fictional.

Half of the injuries I treat at the Acuff house are invisible or simply wounds of sympathy. My oldest daughter will scrape her knee and my 3-year old, realizing the band aid box is open will say, "Yo dad, I'd like to get in on that too. What do you say we put one on, I don't know, my ankle. Yeah, my ankle, let's pretend that's hurt."

But sometimes the cuts are real, like the day my 5-year old got a scrape on her face playing in the front yard. I rushed in the house and returned with a princess bandage. As I bent down to apply it to her forehead, her eyes filled up with tears and she shrunk back from me.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I don't want to wear that band-aid." She replied.

"Why? You have a cut, you need a band-aid." I said.

"I'll look silly." She answered.
Other than her sister and her mom, there was no one else in the yard. None of her friends were over, cars were not streaming passed our house and watching us play, the world was pretty empty at that moment. But for the first time I can remember, she felt shame. She had discovered shame. Somewhere, some how, this little 5 year old had learned to be afraid of looking silly. If I was smarter, if I had been better prepared for the transition from little toddler to little girl, I might have asked her this:

"Who told you that you were silly?"

I didn't though. That question didn't bloom in my head until much later and I didn't understand it until I saw God ask a similar question in Genesis 3:11. To me, this is one of the saddest and most profoundly beautiful verses in the entire Bible. Adam and Eve have fallen. The apple is a core. The snake has spoken. The dream appears crushed. As they hide from God under clothes they've hastily sewn together, He appears and asks them a simple question:

"Who told you that you were naked?"

There is hurt in God's voice as He asks this question, but there is also a deep sadness, the sense of a father holding a daughter that has for the first time ever, wrapped herself in shame.

Who told you that you were not enough?Who told you that I didn't love you?Who told you that there was something outside of me you needed?

Who told you that you were ugly?

Who told you that your dream was foolish?

Who told you that you would never have a child?

Who told you that you would never be a father?

Who told you that you weren't a good mother?

Who told you that without a job you aren't worth anything?

Who told you that you'll never know love again?

Who told you that this was all there is?

Who told you that you were naked?

I don't know when you discovered shame. I don’t know when you discovered that there werepeople that might think you are silly or dumb or not a good writer or a husband or a friend. I don't know what lies you've been told by other people or maybe even by yourself.

But in response to what you are hearing from everyone else, God is still asking the question, "Who told you that you were naked?"

And He's still asking us that question because we are not.

In Christ we are not worthless.

In Christ we are not hopeless.

In Christ we are not dumb or ugly or forgotten.

In Christ we are not naked.Isaiah 61:10 it says:
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness.

The world may try to tell you a thousand different things today. You might close this post and hear a million declarations of what you are or who you'll always be, but know this.

As unbelievable as it sounds and as much as I never expected to type this sentence on this blog:

You are not naked.