The Minnesota History Center is Free every Tuesday evening until 8:00.

It always has interesting exhibits and your kids will learn.

If you have young kids, make sure to bring them to climb around in the Grain Elevator.

As an aside, do you like how this picture formatted?

Here is the story:

When I was fifteen (give or take a year or two) and it was early in December when my parents encouraged my siblings and me to memorize the Christmas portion of Luke 2.  I decided to take up the challenge, and so did my sister who is three years younger than me.

God gave different gifts to my sister and me.  She is more personable, makes friends more easily, and had more of a servant attitude.  I was more academically minded and perhaps more suited to the task of memorization.  But she took up the challenge.  I’m ashamed to say that I hoped I would be the only one to succeed; I wanted it to be more clear who was the smart kid.  I had a chance to help her, and I did not take it.

So here’s this week’s Fighter Verse:  “We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves.  Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.” (Ro. 15:1-2)

I did not do this when I was fifteen.  I used my strength to build myself up –to please myself.  I did not use my strength as God wanted me to.  If I had, I would have helped her, perhaps she would have succeeded, and I would have gotten joy out of the process.

So this week as I was talking about this verse with my kids, I told them that story.  I pray that my failure will at least have the benefit of serving as a counter example to them.  And maybe to you, as well.

Here is this week’s song. When I wrote it, I wasn’t thinking about the story about my sister, but the phrasing almost makes it sound like I was trying to lecture: And not to please ourselves, not to please ourselves, NOT to please ourselves.

Go to Michael’s and buy them one of these:

They cost about a dollar, are maybe four inches across, come with their own paint and are fairly easy for a young child to build.

There’s lots of different vehicles to choose from, so you can get a different one for each child.

Try it!

Our family makes a practice every year to take a drive around neighborhoods and look at Christmas Lights.

We did this on Friday and happened across a home in Shoreview that is really doing the job well.

They have created an impressive system of lights that they’ve coordinated and synchronized to music that you can listen to on the radio. And they just happen to be across the street from the Sitzer park parking lot so you can watch for a long time.

It’s impressive and fun and gave our whole family joy. We recommend it. Bring some food and they’ll donate it to the Emergency Food Shelf.

More information at mnlightshow.com.

Go see it.

So I was driving our 12 passenger van to Wednesday night church on a fairly busy suburban road and Bang! I heard a very loud noise right next to me. It sounded like someone had thrown a wheelbarrow at our car.

Whatever it was that hit us had turned the driver side mirror, so I couldn’t see what it was that hit us. I pulled off the road and saw that there was indeed a dent on the van. I turned around to find whatever it was that hit me – but I saw nothing that could have been the cause.

And then at church I took another look (getting some input from Andy, who nicely came out to take a look) and saw that the dents were more extensive than I had previously thought. The door also was caved in and the dents were on nearly seven feet of the driver’s side of the door.

I have no proof, but I suspect it was a deer that hit me. It’s weird not knowing. Ideas?

2. Funny kids story: After looking at the van with Andy (and I was carrying my now three year old son Foster) and after I commented that I was going to have to get it fixed, he (Andy) said, “That stinks.”

To which Foster replied, “Yeah, that is Dinx. That is really Dinx.”

I noticed the description for Wednesday: Some Thuner.

Now I was pretty sure that this was an error, but I couldn’t figure out what it was supposed to be. I actually went to dictionary.com to see if it was some weather slang that I hadn’t heard of. But later in the day, I went back and they had changed it.

I imagine that all of you have guessed what it was supposed to be.

Tell them you’ll bring them to Target and buy them a HotWheels or Matchbox car. It’s often less than a dollar, and they’ll get to choose from dozens of options.

It will be a perfect gift for your next anniversary, her birthday or mother’s day or Christmas.

And Happy Anniversary, right back to you, Dearest Debbie. My joy increases because of you.