Calvinists make better worshipers

One blessing of taking Phillip to school each morning is being able to listen to Grace to You -- John MacArthur's daily broadcast. Lately he's been going through a study of Calvinism - you know, the 5 points and all. It's been really excellent! I never get tired of those doctrines of grace -- maybe it's the Dutch side of me, tulips, etc.

To illustrate his point today, MacArthur read the words of one of Charles Wesley's hymns. Wesley was not a Calvinist yet he wrote "Calvinist" hymns!

Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray—
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.

As MacArthur read those words over the radio, stuck in traffic, complaining kids in the back of the van, I fought back the tears. What beautiful words! We sing this hymn a lot at our home and in our church, but there's something about just hearing the WORDS that struck me this morning. Sometimes, I think music gets in the way of our worship. The words of the songs we sing should be what motivate our worship. If you're not moved to worship God by "I woke, the dungeon flamed with light," you won't be moved to worship by adding a catchy melody and drums. Too many contemporary songs are void of or lacking in meaningful content. If the words can't stand alone are we actually worshiping in "Spirit and Truth" or in emotion and sentiment?

Paul says "Hi"

Paul has learned to wave "hi." Here's a clip of him doing it for a sec then going off to play.

Eating Dirt

It's official. He's such a boy. He likes to eat dirt!






Big Sister looks on, dumbfounded? Grossed out?

The training wheels are off!

Stupid and stupider

My dermatologist froze off a pre-cancerous spot on my lip last week.

Stupid: Forgetting I was hyper-allergic to antibiotic ointments. My mouth is now a swollen, burning, blistered mess.

Stupider: Ever thinking it was a good idea for me to try to get a tan in the first place. White is beautiful -- or at least better than biopsy-scarred and wrinkled skin.

Smart: At least my children won't have this problem!

Turning boys into men -- Godly men

Another great blog post I had to pass on. Having a 12-year-old boy around the house, I can definitely relate to this piece. From Challies.com:

Mom Shovels the Drive

Mom always shovels the driveway. It’s a phenomenon I’ve noticed time and again. In almost every case there is at least one boy thirteen or older who is able-bodied... Yet in almost every case, mom is the one who shovels the driveway.

I remember being a rebellious, listless teenager. I remember how little I wanted to do much of anything for anyone else. I remember our elderly next-door neighbor had a heart attack and was unable to do any strenuous labor. We had a good snowfall one day and I was enjoying the day from the refuge of my bedroom in the basement, lying across my bed reading a book and listening to some music. My father came down and told me in no uncertain terms that I was to go upstairs, get my winter gear on and get outside to shovel the neighbor’s driveway. He gave me a figurative (and perhaps literal—my memory is a little hazy) kick in the rear-end and sent me on my way. I went outside and there was my neighbor’s wife, shoveling the drive. I pitched in and soon had it cleared. The lesson has stuck.

Dad had high expectations of me, but reasonable, biblical ones. He wanted me to be proactive in service to others; he wanted me to be looking for opportunities to serve and for opportunities to serve as a man serves; he wanted me to use my (growing) strength to serve other people.

I have a boy of my own now and I can see that some of what was in me is in him. He is a good kid, a kind soul. Yet he is sometimes as reluctant to serve as I was when I was young. I am seeking to teach him that he is to use his strength, his ability to serve others and especially to serve those who are weaker or less able than he is. It will not be long before my son is stronger than my wife. Already when they goof around together I can see that she does not have a whole lot on him. What becomes of a mom when she has children who are bigger than she is, stronger than she is, and yet with so little maturity, so little restraint? What happens when there is no one to mentor the boy, to teach him that his strength must be used to serve others?

This is a lesson a father needs to pass to his son. It’s a lesson that no one has taught to so many of the boys who live around me. A few weeks ago I saw a mother struggling with a load of groceries while her boys pushed past one another and past her to get into the house. I stopped them and told them to get back to the car to help their mother. They looked at me blankly and walked into their house, mumbling an excuse. Mom struggled down the walkway she had shoveled with the groceries she was forced to carry. Dad is long gone. There is no one to give these boys the good, swift kick to the posterior that would get them acting like men.

Nurturing Children

Girl Talk had a nice post about how single women can be involved in nurturing children. No, it's not through IVF!

Single women, you can express your femininity in this season of your life by nurturing other people’s children.

When you babysit, you are giving expression to your femininity. When you take an interest and reach out to children in your sphere of relationships, you are displaying your God-given gift of femininity.

And may I say “thank you” on behalf of all of us mothers! Thank you for the way you nurture our children. Thank you for the countless times you have served us through babysitting. Thank you for the way you have loved our children as if they were your very own. It means so much to us!

However, you are doing more than just blessing us, you are honoring God by giving expression to the nurturing aspect of your femininity

Then, this follow-up post was a good reminder to me to open my home, family, and life up to others. Our families should not be limited to those who share our DNA.

"My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it."
Luke 8:21