Time for summer camps

Grace did very well in school this year and so earned her way to camp. She chose Colonial Camp which took place this week at a tea house in the Nob Hill section of town. This is clearly not a place for guys, although I was warmly greeted by the ladies of the house when I came for today's show. The dresses have names (Grace's was Abigail) and the young ladies spent the week making soap, candles, dolls, and learning about colonial life. She had a great time and would love to go back.

My walking partner sounds like a broken record

My walking partner and I get together almost every day. In the early morning before my family is up we'll spend about an hour together.

He does most of the talking--man, does he sound like a broken record! I want to talk about all the things I'm doing, mix in a little subtle boasting, and then hear some sympathy for the undeserved crosses I bear.

But he gets the first word in and, as a genteel Southerner, once he starts I don't interrupt. He talks a lot about himself, what he's done and his plans for the future. He's determined to change the world and goes on and on about it. Even when he's talking about others, it's still about himself--what they thought of him, what they said of him, and what he's going to do for people like this.

He's always saying stuff like this, "the way of holiness belongs to those that walk in the way; even if they are fools (is he referring to me?), they shall not go astray. Everlasting joy, shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, sorrow and sighing shall flee away."

Sometimes it can be hard to just keep listening; can't we talk about what I'm thinking about for a while? But by the end of the walk, if I've paid attention to him, I find that his words are much more helpful than mine.

("For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:9)

Presumption -- children and church membership

"Presumption is as iniquity and idolatry" 1 Samuel 15:23

Many adult Christians have never known a time when they didn't believe; they have grown up in the church from their earliest years. My wife is one of those; however, what she said recently serves as a warning to Christian parents against presuming the spiritual state of their young children.

She cannot identify a time when she didn't believe, yet she speaks of being converted as a teenager. Is this doublespeak? I don't think so. She grew up in a Christian family and learned all about the fundamentals of the Christian faith (think Apostles' Creed) and rejected none of it; she believed this was true. However, there came a time years later when she embraced Jesus Christ as crucified for her sins, as taking her penalty upon himself and freely offering his righteousness to her. She points to this as her moment of conversion.

I write about this tonight for two reasons. First, my two older children have begun church membership class at the tender ages of 10 and 8. They have a fairly good intellectual understanding of the Christian faith (thanks to diligence in memorizing much of theWSC), and they believe it to be true. But as a parent great discernment is now asked of me. If they complete the class do I allow them to go forward in joining the church? This would imply that I consider them to be regenerated. The seriousness of this decision causes many Christian parents to postpone their children's membership until the end of high school. This makes sense to me, but how should I respond to my children's wonderful desire to join the church now?

A second cause for this post is that there are many today that were raised in the church, like my wife, that continue in it into adulthood, yet cannot recall what I described above as a conversion. This is foreign to me and I am puzzled by it. I don't doubt that many of these people are Christians--that somehow God converted them very early, even before their earliest memories. But I am curious to know whether they would say that they have always had more than an intellectual belief in the Christian faith, that they have always had the marks of saving faith in their life (a hatred of their own sin, a dependence upon Christ to save them).

This issue is wrapped up in a person's view of covenant theology, but even as an advocate of that, I see reason to be on guard against presumption. Because the stakes are so high (we're talking about your children's eternity afterall), it seems to me that Christian parents should view their children as "children of promise" without going so far as to consider them saved and ready to become full members of the church. Membership may best be saved until they reach a point in their maturity when their profession of faith reveals more than an intellectual belief.

Angel's food

Believe that the Father loves you. Taste and see that God is good. Christ delights in his saints. The sweetness, delight, and safety of Jesus Christ. The privilege of sonship. The saints' fellowship with the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost unfolded in love, grace, and consolation.

These are just a few of the chapter titles of this wonderfully encouraging, 350 year old book! This is a work that can help Christians enormously. In it I became preoccupied with everlasting love and could say with fresh affection, "behold, this is my beloved!"

To paraphrase Sinclair Ferguson's introduction, in these pages Owen helped me to understand that the 'doctrine' of the Trinity is not what it is often thought to be -- academic, obscure, and speculative. Rather, it is the reverse, for the doctrine of the Trinity is the most fundamental, most practical of doctrines, for it reveals a pathway to knowing, trusting, loving, worshipping, and serving the one living and true God.

Make time for a careful study of this volume and your soul will be richly rewarded!

What were we thinking?!?

There's a lot of talk in the blogosphere right now on transracial adoption (see my side bar "Briefly Noted"). A new study just came out that apparently warns against it. Many secular social workers have thought this way for a long time. And regrettably, many church people do as well. Russell Moore presents what has been for us the compelling reasons to adopt transracially.

What were we thinking when we did this?
1. "Right now, there are untold numbers of children, many of them racial minorities, languishing in the foster care system in the United States. Would the social workers really have us believe that it is better for an African-American child to grow up bounced from home to home in this bureaucratic limbo than to be a child to parents whose skin is paler than his?"

2. "But there's an even bigger issue here: the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel drives us away from our identity in the flesh, and toward a new identity, indeed a new family, defined by the Spirit."

This is what we were thinking. We wanted more children. The doctors said it was unwise for Kristin (a diabetic) to give birth to more children. We knew that many children here in the States need loving homes where they'll hear about Christ. We came to learn that there are 5 times as many adoptable, minority children as there are white children. Our hearts were moved at the realization of this need. And so our need (more children) and the children's need (a loving home) came together in God's providence.

Getting a kickback on my prayers

After a tough day at work and after whining about one of my bosses for a while to Kristin, she said this, "'It is the Lord Jesus you are serving'; he's your boss." (Col 3:24). That verse is now posted on my desk at work.

I've been praying for Kristin more faithfully with help from Water of the Word. I should have expected that these prayers would come with a guaranteed kickback.

3rd Annual Pig Roast

Thanks for the Newnams for inviting the church to a picnic/water-gun fight/kiddie pool swim/pig roast/memorial day event. A great time was had by all.

Pulpit Supply at the Navajo Bible Church (pt 2)

I preached on the power of the cross in putting sin to death to 18 souls among the Navajo nation today. We were warmly received and God gave me strength to set Christ before them with some affection and power. J and my son Eli were excellent company and represented our church well to these brothers, sisters, and new friends.
We had the great joy of meeting Harriet Butler, 25 years the missionary to the Navajos. Her love to see Christ formed in these people and her willingness to live in near-poverty in a lonesome place for much of her life combined to convict me of being an unwilling servant. Could I live this way, in this place, for so long? Would I choose to live this way, as she has since 1985?
I hope to return again, but this time with my whole family, and enjoy additional fellowship among the Navajos.

Pulpit Supply at the Navajo Bible Church

I'm heading out to Crystal, New Mexico today in order to preach to the Navajo Bible Church on the Lord's Day. I'm thankful to have great traveling companions, my oldest son and a friend from church. I look forward to meeting the Navajos and especially our faithful mother in the faith, Harriet Butler who at 86 years of age continues to labor among the Navajos. The little log cabin where the church meets was built by the tribe; the trees were felled, readied, and the house was built completely by the Navajo people.

I can't help but think a little of David Brainerd as I prepare. Although I have little in common with him (to my shame), I do desire to emulate his great passion for Christ to be known among the "Indians". Here are a couple of quotes from his famous journal that are good words for the journey.

Rode 16 miles to Montauk, and had some inward sweetness on the road, but something of flatness and deadness after I came there and had seen the Indians: I withdrew and endeavored to pray, but found myself awfully deserted and left, and had an afflicting sense of my vileness and meanness."

"Felt my heart drawn out after God in prayer, almost all the forenoon; especially while riding. And in the evening, could not help crying to God for those poor Indians; and after I went to bed my heart continued to go out to God for them, till I dropped asleep. Oh, 'Blessed be God that I may pray!

Faith smiles

Why is this new photo of Faith so remarkable?



Because up until now, this has been her "camera smile".

Our homeschool year in review

Homeschool wrapped up this week. To celebrate Kristin visited that friend parents love to hate, Charles E. Cheese, with the children for lunch.











I asked Kristin what are some of the surprises from homeschooling this year and some other questions, but all she would say was, "Hey, it's the day-after. At this point I'm just glad it's over." She did go on to mention some parts of the curriculum that were especially good.

Window on the World. This book features a different country on every 2 page spread. The pages are rich with lots of photographs; it's a beautiful layout. Each country is briefly described with the geography, culture, and, most importantly, how you can pray for that nation.

Kristin taught Isaiah to read using Saxon phonics and was very impressed with it. In the past we've used Sing, Spell, Read, and Write, but Saxon's material was not as complicated and more straight-forward.

I was amazed at how much the children learned about the English language using Shurley Grammar. This was our second year with this curriculum and it continues to impress us by laying a solid foundation of language skills.

The Story of the Orchestra was Grace's favorite book, she must have listened to the CD that comes with it 100 times. The book is divided into two major parts: composers from Vivaldi to Bernstein and their associated musical periods, and the instruments of the orchestra.


We were impressed with Sonlight's readers. While there were a couple of stories that were too dull to finish, the overwhelming majority were big hits with Eli and Grace. Kristin and I, along with the older kids, had a great time reading books like Cheaper by the Dozen, The Great Turkey Walk, Johnny Tremain, and Carry On, Mr. Bowditch almost every evening just before bedtime.

We still struggled with our science curriculum, and a good attempt was made at Latin but it didn't catch on for a number of reasons. On the math front, Saxon is very well done and thorough, but not popular with the kids (can math at this age ever be fun?).

I must mention the huge help we had from church friends this year. One friend came over many times to play with the younger children during school hours and another friend tutored Eli throughout the year in all sorts of subjects (handwriting, geography, bird-watching, ice-cream eating, etc) that made a huge difference! Thank you!

Last, I would be remiss if I didn't mention in this homeschool year in review how I admire Kristin for pulling all this off for 5 years straight. Some people wonder how she can teach the older three with a 2 year old and 1 year old in the house; so do I! But she does it well!

My future according to financial advisors

A financial advisor has been after me for months to start an IRA for Kristin. We spoke on the phone again today and he asked, "what will you live on when you retire?" and other worrisome questions.

Ironically, another financial advisor spoke with Kristin and me just a couple of days ago. He is a lot less smooth than the first one and is aware that we have been contemplating another IRA. Thinking of the future that the first financial advisor envisions for us, this is what he had to say about it, "Weep. You have laid up treasures in the last days. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence."

The future these two financial advisors paint couldn't be more different. We want to believe the first without rejecting the second, but how is that even possible?

School money

We received word today that Grace (8) and Isaiah (5) were accepted into a new classical, Christian school for next year. So for two days a week Kristin will have a lighter load and our children will get some new experiences.

The lock-down at the base elementary school last week (bomb threat) reminded us of one reason why we like homeschooling, but we also like the idea of a classical education which focuses on critical thinking skills, classic languages such as Latin and Greek, and an age appropriate knowledge.

Eli will also be attending a help-for-the- homeschooler type school one day a week that also takes a classical approach to learning.

Since we are down to our last year here we thought we'd experiment with a new school environment before we move next summer. That way if we still prefer homeschooling after we try out these schools, we'll be able to start anew in a new place.

So Kristin will still be homeschooling next year, we'll all be a good deal poorer, but hopefully it will all add up to an excellent education.

By the way, here's a good video clip about not letting different convictions regarding educational choices ruin good relationships.

Love. It's what makes a Subaru, a means of grace

It is true: it is better to give than to receive. Our long-term missionary to the Navajos, an 86 year old widow, just proved that point. Our little church, under the leadership of the deacons, is buying this special mother of the faith a new-er car. Why is this remarkable? She writes,

Let me tell you something. Often we who trust the Lord for our decisions for the future may misinterpret or may be confused about events. Then we decide that God is trying to tell us a door is closing or is being opened.

Last Friday, my wonderful Mercury Topaz gave me such trouble that I pondered the Lord's intentions concerning my continued calling to work among the Navajo women. To get the car going, I had to open the hood which is too heavy for my arms and in particular, my weak right hand. With hood open, the "rigged" fan to cool the radiator had to be connected to the battery. Then drop the hood, by which process, the wire to the fan disconnected and said process had to be redone (three times and each time I had to get back in the car to pull the handle to open the hood again). I think I "lost my cool" and cried to the Lord, "I NEED A BETTER CAR SO I CAN DO MY JOB!"

Did my Heavenly Father hear that cry for help and let the PPC folks answer with your offer? He does work in mysterious ways.

A Subaru Forester? W H E E W !

The Lord always surprises me with His care. And you folks are often His servants to deliver those surprises. You do know with a car like that I could get to people I have not visited for more than a year. I must have misinterpreted His intentions by thinking He meant for me to resign. I am too young for that kind of life, right?

The offerings of one local church, and a small one at that, are being used all over the world in ways just like this. What a joy to see this truth so clearly for once.

The richest man I know

On this Mother's Day I'm reminded of how rich she has made me. And this treasure will only get better with time.

The Father's adopted love for a prodigal like me

The Wrestling Mat is intended to be, primarily, a place to document the wrestling I do with the gospel in order to get a better grip on it. Sometimes I stray from that theme, but I want, very much, to grasp with ever deepening understanding and affection the gospel as it is pictured in precious doctrines like adoption, the Cross of Christ, etc. Here's something I heard Lig Duncan say during a discussion (panel 5 about 15 minutes in) at Together for the Gospel that strengthens my hold in both those areas:

Jesus is on the cross because of the Father's love. Spurgeon says when you look at the Cross you have to ask the question, 'Does the Father love me, more than He loves His own Son?' Look at John 3:16--we often talk about the love of Jesus here and I don't want to diminish that--but see how it speaks to the prior love of the Father that he gave up the most precious thing in the universe for us. And Romans 8:32 says he spared not his only Son for us! The cross is the instrument and expression of the Father's love while at the same time addressing the Father's righteous wrath and indignation against our sin against Him. (a loose quote as I transcribed the audio)

Pictures of the week

Eli holding the game ball that he was awarded for hitting a 3 RBI homerun that tied the score late in the game. This was Eli's first homerun.

Margaret T. watched our three older children yesterday afternoon and dropped them off at our house with this nice surprise. Isn't she awesome!

Race Tracks and Ranches

It's field trip time as we end the school year (by the way, Isaiah finished kindergarten today! Kristin has now taught 3 of our children to read!). The Unser Racing Museum was the destination this week. It's a cool place for kids, but what I want to mention here is a conversation Kristin had while she was there about another great place for kids.

One of the ladies in the homeschool group that Kristin met is a foster mom for New Mexico Boys and Girls Ranches, which just happens to be a prayer focus for our church this month. Kristin took the opportunity to get an independent assessment of The Ranches. She was happy to hear that this foster mom has been pleased with the care and supervision that the folks at The Ranches show for these children with troubled pasts.


During the past year, over a hundred children were cared for through their residential programs alone. In addition to a safe place to live, they received counseling and guidance...a solid education...a strong moral foundation. I'm glad we support the work of The Ranches.

Welcome to Middle Earth, Eli

I've been waiting for this day; Eli has ventured into Middle Earth. He picked up The Hobbit two days ago and it has now been put back on the bookshelf like a horse ridden hard. He quickly reached for The Fellowship of the Ring and I know I'll have to pry it from his fingers at bedtime.

This is significant for me because as I child I didn't want to read. As one untimely born I came to regret the worlds that I missed in those formative years and have tried to play catch up. By God's grace one of our parenting goals is being met--we want all our children to love to read! I attribute part of this accomplishment to the desire God has given Kristin and me to minimize TV and decorate the house with good books which the children often see us enjoying.

As soon as Mordor is destroyed, I have a feeling he'll be heading to Narnia.

Music Review--Before the Throne

Sojourn's Before the Throne deserves the high praise (a rare 5 stars) Christianity Today gave it. I read about it from Tim Challies (scroll down on his post for his comments and easy downloading directions) and agree with his strong recommendation. This music enlivens my soul and prepares me for public worship and just day-to-day keeping my mind on things above.

CT sums up what I think with this quote, "The music is the draw, but the lyrics are what keep you coming back—as it should be."

The falling dollar and global missions

We've asked the missionaries that our church supports to tell us what effect the falling dollar is having on them. The reports are sobering and call me to re-consider how I'll use my "spending money." These families are depending on our faithfulness. Here are a few examples:

(from Bulgaria) "We have received word from three significant supporting churches within the last few months that they were either significantly reducing or stopping their financial support altogether. I'm sensing the need to return to the States to seek new support."

(from Ukraine) "We are all needing extra support – at a time that our supporters in the USA are also having a harder time financially. So we tighten our belts and pray."

(from an undisclosed country) "Yes, we have felt the drop of the dollar, as well as the rising costs of living. We have been able to make ends meet for all months but this month (just a couple hundred dollars)."

(from Greece) "We hang by a thread every month. It’s a real adventure to see how God provides every month. The day-to-day impact on our lives is simply that we’ve had to cut costs on food and any extra-curricular expenses, not that we did much along those lines anyway. Budget categories such as savings, retirement, vacation, and recreation are the first to go, in the interest of “survival” and just paying the bills. So, yes, times are very tough. We usually have two responses to this. One is that if the Lord wants us to continue to live and minister here, He will provide. Of that we are absolutely sure. The second thing is that we are so aware of how much better off we are than the dear, desperate refugees we work among, that we dare not complain about our financial hard times. We try to be as generous as we can with the resources the Lord blesses us with, knowing that 'with such sacrifices He is pleased.'"

(from Malawi) "We have tightened our belts a bit and are waiting to see how much of a trend we have going! The specific impact the dollar’s decline seems to have, besides giving, is on the cost of goods here. Our grocery budget continues to skyrocket and is presently about twice what our grocery budget was in the US. Milk costs around $5 per gallon. Fuel is around $5.50 per gallon and the rising fuel costs give rise to all the other costs as it does in the US. We are seeking increased giving on the part of churches, yet they are in the same boat we are in!"

If the Lord has given you a storehouse of wealth, consider the situation of our brothers and sisters that have left much for Christ, and try as you can to open the doors and move any extra out to the fields.

I Heart Thursday Nights (by Kristin)

I am thankful to my sweet husband who allows me to get out of the house on Thursday evenings. Sometimes I wish I could run an errand by myself or shop, but especially on those nights, I find that I have been blessed to be at CareNet and see God at work. Take tonight for instance.

J did not speak English so her friend M accompanied her to help interpret.

M asked as they walked in “Do you offer birth control?” I replied, that we did not, but offer counseling and promote abstinence. As we were talking M shared their story:

J found out she was pregnant at PP. They told J through M that she was about a month pregnant and there was no heartbeat. Just a bunch of cells. M said she knew better, but agreed to go to the clinic that gives abortions with J.

As they approached the clinic there was a man with a sign that said “Choose Life”. M said to J, “Hey, that sign is for you”. The man holding the sign asked what they were doing. So M told him about J’s situation. The man told her about CareNet and how we offer free services and ultrasounds. He recommended they come see us. Then he spoke again, this time in Spanish to J. She decided to not proceed, but called CareNet.

M was so excited as she told us that she called. We usually make appointments and M said she really felt like J needed to come in soon. We had an opening tonight. So J and M came tonight and saw ultrasounds photos of a 18 week old baby girl. J decided to keep the precious gift.

Tonight we praised the Lord with J and M. M said “Phillip”,the man with the sign, was a guardian angel from the Lord. We are thankful that he spoke J’s language and opened her heart to come to us. We thanked God for an opening in the appointment schedule tonight. We thanked God for our schedules, particularly the ultrasound tech, being open tonight so we could come and serve.

Crazy for the Catechism

A couple of nights ago I was home with just Faith and Zeke; leading them through family worship reminded me of our earliest parenting days worshipping at home together with very young children. It was very different than our practice today.

My earliest memory of teaching Eli about God must be from when he was around 2 or 3 years old. The Sunday school curriculum included the First Catechism and simple Scripture memory and we would work on that through the week. Bath time became the main memory-work time. Later we added the ever popular "Candy Game".

The Candy Game is played by setting out a row of Smarties with a lollipop at the end of the line. For each catechism question answered correctly Eli could advance down the line eating a piece a candy. I saved the lollipop for something big like reciting a brief version of the 10 commandments with me or the Lord's Prayer, etc.

At another church it was common to play Catechism freeze-tag. When frozen you'd be asked a question from the First Catechism and couldn't be unfrozen until it was answered correctly. We Presbyterians are crazy for the Catechism. But I'm fully convinced that this is something worthy of being crazy about.

Family worship has been on my mind a lot lately. The busyness of life is a constantly encroaching threat to a time of daily worship together. Avoiding turning family worship into an empty rite is another threat. I look forward to sharing some final thoughts on this subject with those at church when we finish our current book study, Thoughts on Family Worship, this week.

Anything for ice cream

My boys will do anything for ice cream. What else could cause them to attend tonight's dress rehearsal for Grace's ballet recital but Baskin Robbins 31 cent night? The thought of these two all-American boys watching 2 hours of little girls prancing around in frilly outfits just for one ice cream cone is pretty funny.

Curse words

I want to recommend something for you to listen to; I know it's hard to make time for sitting and listening to something so I wouldn't suggest you do this unless it was really that good.

R.C. Sproul's message at the recent Together for the Gospel conference stood out from the rest. His message is titled “The Curse Motif of the Atonement”. He arrested my attention as he spoke as a man gripped by the realization that God's curse had been removed from him and put upon another able to bear it. His powerful doctrinal exposition and discerning pastoral application of the truth combined to produce a deep spiritual impression on my soul.

This is one of the best sermons I have ever heard, and I am grateful to my Lord for what He has done for me, and for allowing Dr. Sproul to preach about it with excellence.

Haunted no more

Flannery O'Connor famously remarked that the South is Christ-haunted. There is a regard for the Bible, an assumption of Christian faith, and a consensus on morals that you don't find to the same degree in other parts of the country. To be Christ-haunted on a regional level, you would expect that many Southern individuals could also be described this way, and for me that is certainly true. Christ-haunted is the best description of my life in the South.

So that's why my mom was so offended when I told her that it wasn't until after college that I became a Christian! We grew up going to church most weeks. We were raised with a set of morals based on Christianity. I didn't even touch alcohol through college! Isn't all this Christian?

I certainly thought it was, until one day when I was changed. For the first time I had a real desire to know God. I dusted off my Bible that had sat unopened on my nightstand throughout college. For the first time I understood what I had said I believed all along. There is a holy God. I am a terrible sinner (even if I could dress up my external actions to look Christian, I suddenly realized my heart was clearly wretched). Christ is a mighty Savior. For the first time I loved the Cross of Christ where the penalty for my sins was paid.

Haunted no more! His death brought me to life!

Getting to know someone that is suffering terribly

Can you remember feeling like you want to help someone but you don't know how?

Several times a week we spend a little time with a young woman whose son is on Eli's baseball team. She has liver cancer and by all indications is without Christ in her life. She is going through a very intense chemotherapy (as a last chance effort) and can barely make it to her son's games. Whenever I see her hobbling up the stands with a bandanna covering her bare head I feel godly sorrow for her situation. Then something usually happens that brings out feelings of righteous anger.

Instead of going into that here I will only say that this woman is in a very troubled marital situation.

Pray for us and our interactions with this family! Kristin is very heavy of heart about it and is trying to help as the woman allows.

The Friendliest Place On Earth

Alamogordo (in southeastern New Mexico) is my current location; it styles itself as "The Friendliest Place On Earth". I drove down this morning to attend Presbytery and in this post I will attempt to convince you that Presbytery is of interest.

Three times a year the leaders from the churches in our region (NM, AZ, and a part of TX) meet together as a court of the church (based on the connectionalism we find in Acts). We call this meeting Presbytery--i.e. a gathering of elders from different churches. Today was a good example of the work we do. We joyfully started two young men down the road to becoming pastors and solemnly disciplined and sadly removed one of our own number from the pastorate.

In a sense the nations gather at these meetings; we welcomed a pastor from Bethlehem (Palestine) to learn about the plight of the only Presbyterian church left there and the sermon today was from a Mexican pastor laboring across the border for the gospel.

There is much prayer as we labor to plant new churches and provide campus ministries across our region. Fellowship was enjoyed when we took a dinner break and heard an impressive lecture on postmodernism and the pulpit from one of the pastors who recently received a PhD.

While I was enjoying this conference-like atmosphere--eating well, fellowshipping, meeting new people--Kristin was sacrificing at home so that I could attend. She's awesome, and Deacon Mike at church gets big thanks for taking Isaiah out to the East Mountains today to frolic in the snow that surprisingly is still there in abundance!

Alamogordo may strive to be the friendliest place on Earth, but as Spurgeon has noticed, the Church is the dearest place on Earth.

Li'l Miss Contrary

When children are very young, like our little Faith, it's amusing (and at times worrisome) to see the child's personality begin to express itself. Faith has demonstrated that she will probably be the contratrian of our children. Her first reaction to her parents' direction is usually to be solidly against it.

One humorous example as a case in point: Kristin was singing Jesus Loves Me to the little children and Faith interrupted her with a sassy look to assert, "Jesus DON'T love me!". She said this because she wanted to hear the B-I-B-L-E song and was going to reject anything else. It's funny for now, but bodes of difficult days ahead.

We're going to have lots of stories to share, if these kiddos don't kill us first.

Off the charts

Zeke had his 1 year old check up today. He was in the 95th percentile for weight and off the chart in height. The doctor said we could stop feeding him whole hams now and probably lay off the whole milk, too.

Zeke at one week

And at one year

Music Review--You and You Alone

I received a CD titled You and You Alone recently from Sovereign Grace music for agreeing to mention it on this blog. Since the songs on the CD were written by a father and son, I've asked my daughter Grace to help me review it.

She liked the music and the words because they were about God. Her favorite song is I Surrender All (Reprise) because she likes the tune and there were more people singing together on it. Grace and I would describe this music as folk rock music; the songs earlier were more heavy rock and the ones in the later part of the CD were more folk.

I'm always thankful for the work of Sovereign Grace music, and enjoyed receiving this CD, although I prefer less rock and more folk in music.

Let the Little League Madness Begin

Eli's Little League coach was belly bumpin' the ump before he was ejected. His assistant coach, having been thrown out of the game innings earlier, was in his truck yelling and heckling the ump from behind the outfield fence. The parents in the stands were stomping mad with much arm flailing and snide remarks. Mercifully, the game ended soon after. What does a Christian father say to his 10 year old son on the way home?

This post on sportsmanship from CJ Mahaney came to mind. I asked Eli this question, "Which is more important, that the ump calls the game the way we want or that we show respect for his authority, even if we don't agree with him?" We discussed how a coach should handle a situation like this with evidences of godliness.

As fathers, we should want our sons to grow in godliness, not simply athletic ability. This means that we will celebrate when he or other players handle a difficult situation with character and we should prepare our sons before the game with biblical priorities (humbly receive correction, do not complain or disagree, encourage the players, apologize if you hurt someone, play aggressively but selflessly, etc).

Here's a humorous video example of what a coach shouldn't do.

Coming soon!

I'm excited about this conference which will bring two of today's finest reformed teachers to my town. I'm really hoping to attend, and I hope my local readers will try and make it, too.

Overheard

"How many sins do I commit a day, every day!?! And on one hand can I count the times someone has rebuked me."

I heard this remark today; it's an interesting statement. Now no one should read this and overcorrect. Don't be the person with the "gift of rebuke" that goes around looking for someone, somewhere, doing something wrong somehow. But the Proverbs do speak of the wounds of a friend being better than the kisses of an enemy. For my part, I think most correction should come from within the marriage relationship. For a good post on how to properly do this read this from pastor C.J. Mahaney and his wife.

Zeke's birthday celebration

Since I was out of town on his birthday, we postponed the celebration to this week.


After the cake's suger rush kicked in it was time to put on some gospel music and dance!

The answer to my question

Why aren't Christians in our country persecuted and how do we reconcile that with Scripture's expectation of persecution? When living in the South, the answer given to me was that almost everyone is a Christian. Certainly that is not true in the West.

I now know the actual answer lies in the difference between Paul and me. Wherever he went he knew the people around him needed a Savior and he told them about Jesus. This is why he was persecuted. I am sinfully unlike Paul and that is the answer to my question.

Proverb: Testing harder than they teach

My children, beware of easy teachers.
For they often test harder than they teach
A teacher who doesn't work hard at teaching
only makes more work for the student.

Personality or Character, which do we seek?

I heard recently that people form their impression of you within 4 minutes. So in our sound-byte, entertainment-driven culture it shouldn't surprise us that a funny or cool personality will win out over character which takes time and trial to prove.

Clearly Christians should break from the world's ways and strive after character rather than personality. That's not to say that we should have no personality--joy, faith, and integrity should define us and grow out of the unchanging bedrock of a godly character.

We must remember to "imitate" Paul (something he repeatedly urges us to) and not the world. Appreciate a winsome personality in others but guard your heart until character can be assessed. This goes for finding a pastor, a friend, or a spouse.

Happy Birthday, Zeke!

The big guy is 1 today! His brothers and sisters keep singing the birthday song to him. He has no clue why they insist on doing this. He just gives them his stoic look, something he excels at. Kristin and I usually don't have a problem getting him to smile (as this great photo attests), but when most other folks try to get him to smile he just gives them his serious, just-the-facts, ma'am, kind of look. Methinks he has a future as a Buckingham palace guard!

Lost in L.A.

As I continue my time away from home, here's a journal entry summarizing the experience so far.

The course I'm in is an all-boys club. Twenty-five men away from home for over a week with a good deal of free time (and per diem) on their hands. Not a recipe for righteousness. I wonder if anyone in the class other than me is disgusted with the character of these men and concerned for their souls? I fight to feel compassion for them and all to easily would let them wine & dine themselves to eternal destruction without saying a word. Colossians 4 reminds me to pray that a door for the Word may be opened and to speak boldly as I am supposed to do.

Meanwhile I'm treating this as a "final's week", meaning my goal is to use my free time to work hard on church and job responsibilities so that when I return home I will be able to enjoy my family. I hope to get several weeks ahead on Sunday school preparation and other elder work. I am reminded of Strauch's exhortation that a non-vocational elder should spend his leisure time serving Christ and his church and am enjoying the extra study and prayer time and, so far, making good use of it. But the urge to relax and enjoy some entertainment hasn't flagged and at times is quite strong. At these times I've found reviving in listening to hymns (Jesus, I my cross have taken, Psalm 73, etc) and thinking of Piper's address on "Don't Waste Your Life". But even hearing a snatch of a secular song in a fast food restaurant has a frightening worldly effect on me.

Kristin is an amazing woman and continues caring for the children gracefully in my absence. God is merciful, which is my continuing prayer for myself and my family too far away.

Revamped church website now up

My thanks goes to Erika and team for updating our church's website! Check it out.