Diplomacy

Conversation between a certain lady blogger and her husband, en route home from the grocery store.

Husband: I think I'll ride my bike today.

Lady: Yes, you should do that.

Husband: You could ride with me if you had a bike. Wait, daughter has a bike; you could ride that.

Lady: The seat on daughter's bike is evil.

Husband: Youngest son doesn't find anything wrong with the seat.

Lady: Youngest son has a 13 year old male rear end. I have an over-40 female rear end.

Husband: It has more padding, then. It shouldn't be a problem.

Lady: *speechless*

Lady is determined that she is not riding anyone's bike this afternoon; she is going to put her well-padded derriere to good use .... on the couch perhaps.

Out and About

Out in my neighbourhood today.



And a little closer to home:

Pastor Yoda?

I just read this in the May/June issue of Modern Reformation:

What started out as a nation-wide joke has turned into a small but determined new religion. Seven people in every thousand in England and Wales gave their religion as "Jedi" in the 2001 Census. Now, a Jedi church has formed in North Wales. The order has 80 worshippers - whose uniform is head-to-toe black - but is growing daily, says Barney Jones, also known as Master Jonba Hehol. "We will have teachings based on Yoda - the 900 year old grand master - as well as readings, essays submitted, meditation and relaxataion, visualization and discuss healthy eating."

I think this church's biggest competition will come from the Church of Hogwarts.

Whoa...

That is an utterance used frequently by Todd Friel in response to comments made by Rick Warren. See this this video clip which I listened to this morning at Irish Calvinist.

Listen to the entire clip; it's interesting.

A balanced sense of importance

I liked this exchange between D.A. Carson and Ted Kluck, as detailed in the book Why We're Not Emergent (By Two Guys Who Should Be). Kluck interviewed Carson, and this was part of their discussion:

"The feedback on blogs is immediate," Carson continues. "You have a thought and then three minutes later it's published for the world to digest. And then in another three minutes you have anonymous folks posting messages about how wonderful you are. It tends to inflate one's sense of importance."

We agree that there is something good about the editing process, the idea that your work sits for a while and is evaluated before being thrust out before the world. (p. 93)


I really liked that.

And here's another one....

Another snippet from Let the Reader Understand, that is. I liked this analogy:

We are like frogs in a swamp in a farmer's field, who arise from the mire and croak about whether or not the farmer exists. We send out forays into the surrounding fields and discover that they are made of similar materials, although bearing an appearance much different from our swamp. We cannot help noticing how orderly the whole farm is, even though our swamp is such a mess, and we conclude that there is possibly a Rather Intelligent Frog somewhere behind it all. And this Frog should be grateful for our interest, impressed with our momentous discovery.

Meanwhile, the farmer is busy clearning up the swamp, creating a clear, attractive pond with smooth rocks to sit on, and encouraging frogs in their own language to migrate into and it and thus be saved from their disease-ridden filth. However, he could have chosen to bull-doze the whole lot. The farmer has even waded into the mud to pick up and move a few frogs, who are thus aware of this and are heard to say, "He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand!" (Ps. 40:2). But many others respond, "That's enough for now! you may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you." (Acts 24:25).

The Bible in Worship and Witness

In their book Let the Reader Understand, McCartney and Clayton deal primarily with a study of hermeneutics. What they point out, however, is that sound hermeneutics is about more than dry academic study. How we approach Scripture determines the way in which we worship and witness.

Here are a couple of great thoughts on the subject of worship:

We can only worship the God we know. In fact, we shall always worship the "god" we know, whether it be the true God or not. If our god is of our making, then we shall worship accordingly. If we are to give God acceptable worship, then we must seek to know him better, to discern what pleases him, and since he is transcendent above all natural human comprehension, this is possible only insofar as he reveals himself.

A time of silence will produce true worship only if it has first been fed by God's Word, so that it is in fact a time of meditation. Anything else will merely allow the human heart to go astray (Matt. 15:17-19). We are not arguing at all against the practice of silence. Most people today have the opposite problem of a lifestyle that precludes times of quiet reflection, but the point here is that mere navel contemplation will lead only to great unodliness (Matt 12:34; Jer. 17:9).

The ramifications of Scripture-driven worship are amazing when you stop and think about it.

Snips and snails...

... and puppy dog's tails and all that.

Boys will be boys.

Dan Phillips has been discussing the challenges of parenting boys. Check the comments for some interesting discussion.

I used to frequent a homeschool parents' forum where one of the moms liked to say that when boys reach puberty their brains turn into styrofoam. I always liked that phrase. She had four boys, and no girls. I wonder to what we could liken the transformation of the female grey matter.

Of course, there are always the advocates of the belief that boys and girls are the same, and that it is only their environment that makes the difference. And of course there are always people who give dolls to boys to prove that. I gave one of my boys a doll to play with once. He hit his sister with it, proving that even Pocahontas Barbie can be wielded as a weapon.

And here's another one....

... a thankful thought, that is.

I am very thankful for "little" blessings.

Sometimes, it is very easy to get bogged down in circumstance. Our personal circumstances seem unbearable, and then we open up a newspaper or read a magazine, or whatever, and we feel more discouraged. It gets hard to deal with the every day discouraging circumstances, let alone, the ones outside of our own back yard.

But, I am thankful for little blessings; the sun peeking through the leaves on the trees, the smell of freshly mown grass, the song of a Cardinal in the back yard, or the warmth of the sun. Perhaps it is just a glimpse into the power of God exhibited in the life of a child you know, or a friend. Perhaps it is the encouragement and confidence given from a good friend. Perhaps, it is just the hug from a child -- even if you do have to tip-toe to get it.

Whatever they are, little blessings are helpful, even though they may be hard to see at times.

Tuesday's Thankful Thought

This morning, as I sit with my second cup of coffee, I am thankful for books. And specifically, I'm thankful for books that direct my thought to the Lord.

Last night, I was reading Let the Reader Understand (and I have a great quotation from that book for tomorrow's post!) and the chapter was talking about the impossibility of divorcing worship from an understanding of who God is. I wrote in the margin of my book, "Amen!" I was so thankful to have that reminder.

Good Christian reading does not replace the Bible. In fact, if all I ever did was read about the Bible, I'd be doing something wrong. But good Christian reading provides us with constant reminders of biblical truth. It's like having someone to sit and "chat" with.

I have way too many books, I'm sure. I haven't even read them all. But I am thankful that I have them to give me little things to think upon.

Okay, so I am a nitpicker...

I'm loving the book Why We're Not Emergent (By Two Guys Who Should Be), by Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to have a peek into the emergent church movement. I think this book would be a great read for a teenager or a college student.

Now, the the two gentlemen who wrote the book, published by Moody, have the honor of having David Wells write the foreward. Have you read anything by David Wells? I have; his books have been very influential in my own thinking.

Now, I am a homeschool mom.... at least until the end of June, and then I don't know what I'll be. But anyway. I do think about grammar and such. Now, when I am happily reading along and I come across this:

I'm convinced that a major problem with the emerging church is that they refuse to have their cake and eat it to
my homeschool mom sensibilities are offended. Eat it to what?

Not only is that last word erroneous, but I think the punctuation is also incorrect.

Grammatical imperfections aside, this is a great book!

And now, a brief history moment

Today is a holiday here in Canada. People often call it the "May 2-4" weekend. It is actually a celebration of the birthday of Queen Victoria. In 1901, after Queen Victoria died, an Act of Parliament was passed making May 24th a holiday, called Victoria Day. If May 24 fell on a Sunday, the holiday was held on a Monday. Now, it is simply held on the third Monday of May.

Over time, and as our connection with Britain has waned, this weekend has become synonomous with other things. This is the weekend when many who own cottages make the first trip to open up for the season. It is a weekend when many campers make their first trip into nature. And the "2-4" aspect of it refers to a case of 24 beer, which many people ingest. Police services all over Canada are out in full force on this first long weekend of the year, hoping to put a stop to the notorious action of fools people who drive after having had a few drinks.

This is also a weekend gardeners love, because it can be a good time to get those bedding plants in. I, myself, have never done so on this weekend. I lived in Saskatchewan when we bought our first house, and had flower beds. I discovered that the first weekend in June is much more preferable. I had a few run-ins with post May 24 weekend frost to cure me of that habit.

I read an article in the paper on the weekend, where people are contemplating the "value" of calling this day "Victoria Day." Apparently, they question this, seeing as we are no longer British subjects, and all that. I guess their looking for something more "inclusive" and "politically correct." Haha. Good luck on that one. I don't understand this at all. Canada has its roots in Britain. We are part of the Commonwealth. At one time, our ties with Britain were very important. Why change the name of the holiday for no apparent reason? I shudder to think of what they would come up with, anyway. Why try and pretend that history did not happen?

Whatever the real significance of this day, it is nice to have a day to sleep a little later.

A Sunday song

I really like this song:

Jesus, the Lord, My Savior

1. Jesus, the Lord, my Savior is,
My Shepherd, and my God;
My light, my strength, my joy, my bliss;
And I His grace record.

2. Whate’er I need in Jesus dwells,
And there it dwells for me;
’Tis Christ my earthen vessel fills
With treasures rich and free.

Chorus: Mercy and truth and righteousness,
And peace, most richly meet
In Jesus Christ, the King of grace,
In Whom I stand complete.

3. As through the wilderness I roam,
His mercies I’ll proclaim;
And when I safely reach my home,
I’ll still adore His name.

4. “Worthy the Lamb,” shall be my song,
“For He for me was slain;”
And me with all the heavenly throng
Shall join, and say, “Amen.”
(Repeat chorus)
(Repeat verse 1)

I heard it sung by Sandra McCracken, who is married to Derek Webb. McCracken is one of the few female singers whom I really like. I am thinking of singing this song on July 6th at our evening service, accompanied by my son on guitar.

There is a link to a little snippet here.