Pondering Patrick!

If you know the Stewart Clan....than you probably know that we all LOVE a good party.  I particularly have been known to make up reasons to celebrate.  To me parties are like the sprinkles of life.  They add color, fun, and ta-da to otherwise normal days.  So I decided we needed to celebrate St. Patrick's Day this year....but first we needed to find out why....
So in my research I found this post at Focus on the Family concerning St. Patrick.  I've included it because I found it very informative and very inspiring:

"It’s widely known that St. Patrick was actually not Irish. He was born in Britain. When he was 16 he was captured by thieves looting his parent’s estate. He was taken to Ireland and enslaved for six years, escaped and retreated back to Britain. Although some accounts of his life differ, the History Channel summed up the remaining years of post-enslavement life this way:

Soon after (his escape), Patrick began religious training, a course of study that lasted more than fifteen years. After his ordination as a priest, he was sent to Ireland with a dual mission-to minister to Christians already living in Ireland and to begin to convert the Irish.

Familiar with the Irish language and culture, Patrick chose to incorporate traditional ritual into his lessons of Christianity instead of attempting to eradicate native Irish beliefs. For instance, he used bonfires to celebrate Easter since the Irish were used to honoring their gods with fire. He also superimposed a sun, a powerful Irish symbol, onto the Christian cross to create what is now called a Celtic cross, so that veneration of the symbol would seem more natural to the Irish.

So there is Saint Patrick, a man ahead of his time, attempting to be real and relevant, climbing inside the pagan worldview of another country and culture in order to gain credibility and win converts for Christ. "

WOW!  That speaks my heart.  Now I just love me some St. Patrick!  How cool was he?  Meeting people where they were.  Not just any people but people who had enslaved him.  Whoa!  Yep....they had kidnapped him, enslaved him....and yet he went back....and didn't try to change them but met them where they were and INVESTED in them and became RELEVANT to them.  And to think I just wanted a reason to party.....
So yes....we are going to have special St. Patrick's Day after dinner treats...

and yes we are going to make cool preschool crafts.....

and yes we are definitely donning green today.....BUT we will also be having a very cool family time tonight discussing how we like St. Patrick can be daring and brave and real and relevant to reach the world for Christ! 

I am still Pondering and I am feeling VERY loved and VERY cherished by my Father.  God awed me this week in how he worked in our family...BUT I'm not ready to post about that yet.....SO I decided to post on St. Patrick today instead.

A few funnies I want to remember from today:
In my attempt to be Irish I made Brussel Sprouts for dinner:

my family assured me that potatoes would be Irish enough next year! :)

ALSO

The Twinkies and The Baby cannot for the life of them say "Saint Patrick's Day" they have been telling everyone it is "Green Patrick Day"

So from my family to yours "Happy Green Patrick Day!"
Love-
Kim