tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-152691652024-03-13T20:09:36.003-07:00Musings of the DingsHerein you may find various reflections, stories and thoughts from our minds. Exciting, ain't it?Evershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13981549398092045876noreply@blogger.comBlogger79125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15269165.post-1152225807710642782006-07-06T15:39:00.000-07:002006-07-06T15:43:27.733-07:00Blog Moving NoticeIn the interest of doing some more fancy stuff with our blog (like categories and other fun stuff), we're moving this blog over to our own host. Future posts will be posted at <a href="http://dinghome.net">DingHome.net</a>. All of our old posts and this blogspot site will remain (though we won't be adding new posts here).<br /> <br />Odds are, if you can read this, you're subscribing to our blog by subscription. In which case, your best bet is to update your feed URL to <span style="font-weight:bold;">http://dinghome.net/feed/</span>.Evershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13981549398092045876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15269165.post-1150848645629807062006-06-20T17:01:00.000-07:002006-06-20T17:11:52.860-07:00Kids can understand a LOT!It's often been said that one should never underestimate what children understand and learn.<br /><br />My four-year-old boy Matthew is great at proving that axiom. Here's a couple of examples from the past two days:<ul><li>Yesterday the family came to the office to attend a baby shower thoughtfully put together by my co-workers to celebrate our new baby girl (and my return to the office). As we were preparing to board the elevator, Matthew ran over to the opening door. Inside there were already people going down. Instead of simply waiting outside or running inside, he instead stood right by the opening and extended just his arm to block the door. He <span style="font-weight:bold;">knew</span> that doing so would hold the door open by by triggering safety sensors. He then hollered, "Hurry up, Dad!" As I got in, one of the people in the elevator marveled that so small a child would understand how to do that! She said, "When he first put his arm, I thought he was playing! But he actually knew to keep the door open that way. I don't think I'd ever have known how to do that at his age!"</li><br /><li>This afternoon, when Lois was cutting up a pastry for him to eat, she reports that he told her, "Mommy, don't cut yourself. The knife is sharp and you need to be careful." As she put it later, he talks just like us!</li></ul>All the more reason to be extra watchful about the behavior that we exemplify for our children. That he is so quick a study also reminds me of how easily he can also learn ugly habits like anger, envy and discontent. May they instead learn not only "clever tricks" and smart safety tips, but also a love for the gospel every single day!Evershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13981549398092045876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15269165.post-1150780180451004112006-06-19T22:05:00.000-07:002006-06-19T22:09:40.466-07:00Happy (One Month) Birthday Calissa!Our youngest little child, Calissa, turned one month old today! To be honest, I've been so focused on caring for the three older kids that I've barely spent much time cuddling up with her. So ironically, when Lois had an appointment this morning that left me with all four, I finally made some time to focus on Calissa. First giving her a bath, then dressing her up in a cute little outfit. She really is a cutie. What a blessing God has put into our family.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://static.flickr.com/51/171064211_8e93a61358.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://static.flickr.com/51/171064211_8e93a61358.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://static.flickr.com/73/171064212_0af8420d57.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://static.flickr.com/73/171064212_0af8420d57.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Evershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13981549398092045876noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15269165.post-1150586212495824092006-06-17T15:58:00.000-07:002006-06-18T21:51:48.960-07:00CD Review: Worship God Live<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/music/projects/worshiplive/"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 162px;" src="http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/images/music/worshiplive/cd1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>I spent the last month or so listening to Sovereign Grace Music's latest release, <a href="http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/music/projects/worshiplive/">Worship God Live</a>. This album was recorded, as the title suggests, during a live worship and song session at <a href="http://www.covlife.org">Covenant Life Church</a> in Maryland. Bob Kauflin, who serves as Director of Worship Development for Sovereign Grace Ministries, provided the CD for review without cost via an offer on his thoughtful <a href="http://worshipmatters.blogs.com">Worship Matters</a> blog.<br /><br />As I've come to expect from worship music coming from Sovereign Grace, I was impressed by the substance and gospel-centeredness of the songs on the album. All of the songs were written by members of Sovereign Grace churches. The gospel-richness of the songs was typified by the chorus of <span style="font-style: italic;">Jesus, Thank You</span>:<blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;">Your blood has washed away my sin<br />Jesus, thank You<br />The Father’s wrath completely satisfied<br />Jesus, thank You<br />Once Your enemy now seated at Your table<br />Jesus, thank You</span></blockquote>How often do songs speak of the satisfaction of the <span style="font-style: italic;">wrath</span> of the Father in the cross? Such clear and faithful declarations of the truths of the gospel were embodied in the songs of the album. Listening to these songs left me with little question that bringing these into a corporate worship context would help guide the congregation into reflecting on the glory of God in Christ.<br /><br />One thing I'm always looking for as a song leader is songs that will help a congregation sing as <span style="font-style: italic;">one</span>, rather than as merely a number of individuals in the same room. While there's certainly a place for hymns speaking of "I" and "me;" it's equally important that God is saving for Himself a people, and the church is the Body of Christ made up of interconnected members. When we come together as the church, it's a unique time and context for singing as <span style="font-weight: bold;">the people</span> of God and not just a bunch of persons. Therefore, I always look for songs for the church to sing <span style="font-style: italic;">together</span> that acknowledge our oneness in Christ. The songs in particular that I liked along these lines were <span style="font-style: italic;">God Moves</span> (an update of William Cowper's hymn with an added chorus of "... God, we trust in You..."), <span style="font-style: italic;">Receive The Glory</span>, the upbeat <span style="font-style: italic;">How Majestic</span>, and, of course, the updated version of <span style="font-style: italic;">O God, Our Help in Ages Past</span>.<br /><br />I also felt that nearly all of the arrangements were fitting to the lyrics. That is, too often, it seems folks think one can take any lyrics and drop some fast rock beat on without any effect on the ability to appreciate the lyrics. That kind of thinking is equivalent to thinking one could simply take the original lyrics of <a href="http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/a/c/acanitbe.htm"><span style="font-style: italic;">And Can It Be</span></a> and put them to rap without taking away from the hymn's "usability" in congregational worship. I think not. In general, the album did a good job pairing meaningful lyrics with appropriate musical arrangements. In particular, I liked the album's redux of <a href="http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/media/mp3/worshiplive/ourhelp.mp3"><span style="font-style: italic;">O God, Our Help in Ages Past</span></a>. (Sovereign Grace, in general, has done some very tasteful and high-quality "updates" of very good hymns. The <a href="http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/music/projects/hymns/upward.html">Upward</a> album showcases some excellent examples of this.)<br /><br />One area I felt the album fell short was the very prominent presence of percussion and other instruments in the production. The band/instruments were audible to the point of taking away from the ability to discern and appreciate the lyrics. I actually had to turn down the treble on my stereo in order to reduce the "noise." I tried to capture this in <a href="http://dinghome.net/audio/worship_god_eqdiff.mp3">a short audio clip</a>, which first features a "flat" EQ version followed by toning down the high-end treble. This is just a personal preference, but it seems altogether too common in churches these days that the worship band/instruments are very audible and the congregation's "voice" seems lost amidst the performance. I think the recording would've been better with less emphasis on the high-end percussion sound (snares/hi-hat) and electric guitar(s). Oddly enough, I didn't really perceive this as a problem listening to some of my older Sovereign Grace live recordings from the now discontinued "Come and Worship" series such as <a href="http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/music/worship/depthofmercy.html">Depth of Mercy</a>. In that album, the voices were <span style="font-style: italic;">very</span> prominent and the instruments were in the background as I think they should be in congregational worship. To grant benefit of doubt, recordings can only capture a snippet of the actual experience. And this complaint is relatively minor, since it's something I can correct with some equalizer tweaking.<br /><br />Perhaps a more serious complaint is that the style of worship leading seems much more performance-oriented than to accompanying an average congregation. Namely, when listening to a studio-recorded session of "worship songs," I fully expect a number of creative insertions, solo variations, etc. But the more I listened to this album and tried to "worship along," the more I was distracted by a number of musical interludes and segues between verses in which the worship team members were singing their own solos. If you've listened to any common live "rock" worship albums, of course, you probably know what I mean. If not, <a href="http://dinghome.net/audio/worship_god_soloizing.mp3">here's a sample audio clip</a> from one of my otherwise better-liked songs on the album, <span style="font-style: italic;">Jesus, Thank You</span>. The question I asked myself was, "What would I do while these worship bands were singing their little solos? Would I watch and wait 'til they sync'ed up? Would I sing my own solo amidst a congregation? Or would I just watch and listen to <span style="font-style: italic;">them</span>?" Since the last seemed most likely, it seemed to violate for me a core principle of worship/song leading: <span style="font-weight: bold;">don't</span> be the center of attention. Of course, I recognize that the congregation at Covenant Life is likely accustomed to this style — and that overrides my personal concerns. Perhaps it's due to their continuationist preferences. But in general, this style seems indicative of an unhealthy trend of performance-oriented "worship leading" that's more common than not, especially among churches trying to emulate "successful" mega-churches.<br /><br />All in all, the pluses outweighed the minuses of the album. I wouldn't try to emulate the worship leading style of the band(s) in the album. But the songs themselves commend themselves to be introduced to congregational worship for any church interested in new songs that are full of the gospel, of Christ, and of a passion and zeal for the glory of God. Amidst so many options for so-called worship music that is far more self-centered than God-centered, <span style="font-style: italic;">this album is a great choice</span>. That Sovereign Grace makes all the <a href="http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/music/projects/worshiplive/">sheet music and chord sheets</a> available on their website for free download speaks volumes of their desire to make sure song leaders can use these great songs within their own congregations. I'd encourage any song leaders to purchase the album and pick up song sheets for songs that they think would work for their congregation.Evershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13981549398092045876noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15269165.post-1149091885743946462006-05-31T09:02:00.000-07:002006-05-31T09:22:03.673-07:00Book Review Preview: Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0875526071/103-8815753-8820617?v=glance&n=283155"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 157px;" src="http://static.flickr.com/68/157267130_868a179d55_m.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>I've recently begun reading <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0875526071/103-8815753-8820617?v=glance&n=283155"><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands: People in Need of Change Helping People in Need of Change</span></a> by Paul David Tripp. I hope to put a book review together upon completion. So far I've found it to be a very well-written and compelling book. The thesis of the book, in essence, is that too often Christians assume that "counseling" in the church is the domain of professionals. This assumption is too often fed by an unbiblical view of the pastoral ministry as *the* "ministry" -- when in fact, the saints themselves are the ministers and pastors are called simply to equip them to do it.<br /><br />Having read the first 1/4 of the book, I've been impressed especially by Tripp's emphasis that preceding counseling -- informal and formal -- there must be proper understanding of what causes behavior, namely, the *heart*. He uses a number of helpful autobiographical examples to drive home this point. <br /><br />One thing he points out a number of times which rang especially true is that too few Christian marriage, family and relationship books spend any time talking about the core causes underlying conflict and problems, i.e., the desires of our hearts. Much energy in these books and counseling is spent on improving communication, etc. But as he points out wisely, the problem is often not merely failing to communicate effectively with another person, but our own fallen hearts. As I've thought on a number of occasions, it's not other people who make me angry -- it's my own sinful heart. After all, Jesus in his perfect manhood would still never have sinned even under the duress of my life. It seems vain to even hint at it, given his holy response to the suffering of the cross. The point is, my sinful heart at the core of my problems -- not the external stimuli that reveal my heart.<br /><br />In any case, Lord willing, I'll finish this book within the millenium and be able to offer a review.Evershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13981549398092045876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15269165.post-1148341787757999552006-05-22T16:12:00.000-07:002006-05-22T16:49:47.930-07:00Calissa being adored by her brothersWell, at least, I think it's being "adored." Either that, or they're driven by immense curiosity.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://static.flickr.com/49/151519882_8de99effdc_o.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://static.flickr.com/49/151519882_8de99effdc_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://static.flickr.com/51/151519888_a93d87a7b9_o.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://static.flickr.com/51/151519888_a93d87a7b9_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://static.flickr.com/56/151519886_4c0e82312a_o.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://static.flickr.com/56/151519886_4c0e82312a_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />And here's proof she firmly belongs in the Ding family: on day three she's a thumbsucker just like the rest!!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://static.flickr.com/50/151519889_67e56c240c_o.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://static.flickr.com/50/151519889_67e56c240c_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://static.flickr.com/56/151519890_880f1c23cf_o.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://static.flickr.com/56/151519890_880f1c23cf_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Evershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13981549398092045876noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15269165.post-1148141591373647282006-05-20T09:09:00.000-07:002006-05-22T19:40:45.000-07:00A couple more photos of Calissa<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://static.flickr.com/53/149842941_e516eacf6b_o.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://static.flickr.com/53/149842941_e516eacf6b_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://static.flickr.com/54/149842942_497f101814_b.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://static.flickr.com/54/149842942_497f101814_b.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://static.flickr.com/38/151312496_c24ee2220f_o.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px;" src="http://static.flickr.com/38/151312496_c24ee2220f_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Evershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13981549398092045876noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15269165.post-1148114623937107442006-05-20T01:21:00.000-07:002006-05-22T19:50:45.646-07:00And Then There Were Four!We gratefully announce the arrival of our fourth child, a little girl named <a href="http://www.parenthood.com/babynames_searchresults.html?searchName=Calissa"><span style="font-weight:bold;">Calissa</a></span> <span style="font-weight:bold;">Jane</span> Ding. Her name is derived from the Greek word "<a href="http://bible.crosswalk.com/Lexicons/Greek/grk.cgi?search=2570&version=nas&type=str&submit=Find">kalos</a>" which means "beautiful" or "good."<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://static.flickr.com/56/149685716_cc03816216_o.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://static.flickr.com/56/149685716_cc03816216_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://static.flickr.com/53/149685717_cfc2253ba3_b.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://static.flickr.com/53/149685717_cfc2253ba3_b.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />She was born on May 19, 2006 at 11:54 pm. Her initial stats: 7 lbs 8 oz and 18 inches long.<br /><br />Oddly enough, this was Lois' longest labor yet. Her contractions began at 6:30am and continued into the evening with little progress. By then we'd checked into the hospital because Lois' water broke in the noon hour. We made a difficult decision at 9:30pm -- after 15 hours of inconsistent contractions -- to have a light drip of pitosin administered to accelerate her seemingly stalled and ineffectual labor. That did the trick (yikes!) and within 2+ hours, we had our baby girl. Through it all, as with her other two deliveries, she did it without any anesthesia.<br /><br />What makes this day particularly notable is that it's also our fifth wedding anniversary. Happy anniversary, babe. Though arguably the toughest one! We'll have to do a make-up date soon...<br /><br />Thank you Lord. Bless this little girl! And God bless her momma for an amazing job enduring a long and at times discouraging labor.Evershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13981549398092045876noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15269165.post-1147469125734748452006-05-12T14:22:00.000-07:002006-05-12T16:04:16.986-07:00Some resources on feminine modestyIn a <a href="http://dinghome.blogspot.com/2006/01/great-resource-on-gospel-motivated.html">previous post</a> I mentioned a couple of good resources on gospel-motivated feminine modesty. If you haven't read that post, I'd encourage you to first visit and download an excellent message from C.J. Mahaney titled "The Soul of Modesty."<br /><br />Here are a few more recent blog-links that discuss this topic helpfully:<br /><br />From the <a href="http://girltalk.blogs.com/girltalk/modesty/index.html">Mahaney girltalk blog</a><br />From the <a href="http://teampyro.blogspot.com/2006/05/sister-show-mercy.html">PyroTeam blog</a><br /><br />Brothers and sisters, I encourage you all to take some time to consider this subject.Evershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13981549398092045876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15269165.post-1146868519321027082006-05-05T15:30:00.000-07:002006-05-05T15:45:31.536-07:00Two adorable and handsome boys...... though I <span style="font-style:italic;">might</span> be slightly biased.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://static.flickr.com/46/141050236_5a7f383ac9_o.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 306px;" src="http://static.flickr.com/46/141050236_5a7f383ac9_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://static.flickr.com/47/141050239_8d84570a60_o.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 306px;" src="http://static.flickr.com/47/141050239_8d84570a60_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://static.flickr.com/51/141050238_95010ee1c9_o.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 245px;" src="http://static.flickr.com/51/141050238_95010ee1c9_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />And in case you missed it, a couple of months ago our Emmaline had <a href="http://dinghome.blogspot.com/2006/02/emmalines-one-year-photos.html">photos</a> taken as well!Evershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13981549398092045876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15269165.post-1146863052803414962006-05-05T14:02:00.000-07:002006-05-05T14:04:12.823-07:00Win a microscope from Spunky!<a href="http://www.spunkyhomeschool.blogspot.com/">Spunky</a> is giving away a <a href="http://benzmicroscope.com/catalog/display.php?ID=M2250B&brand=SWIFT">Benz Microscope</a> and <a href="http://www.highschoolscience.com/">Apologia Biology Set</a> this week. <a href="http://spunkyhomeschool.blogspot.com/2006/05/spunkys-great-giveaway.html">Click Here </a>to get the details.Evershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13981549398092045876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15269165.post-1146698515762574962006-05-03T16:13:00.000-07:002006-05-03T16:21:55.776-07:00How much *should* Lois make as a SAHM?According to <a href="http://swz.salary.com/momsalarywizard/layoutscripts/mswl_newsearch.asp">SalaryWizard.com</a>, even though I bring home all the bacon, my lovely wife deserves to keep all the money and more!!! And that's based on conservative estimates of hours & no performance bonuses (which she deserves!).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://static.flickr.com/54/139996246_0d69d7bf81_o.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px;" src="http://static.flickr.com/54/139996246_0d69d7bf81_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Evershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13981549398092045876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15269165.post-1145992958283694562006-04-25T12:20:00.000-07:002006-04-25T12:23:02.716-07:00Galatians 6:9 is for parents!<blockquote>And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.</blockquote>Dear Lord, help us in our weakness, frailty and besetting sin to not quit. This parenting gig has been really tough. We do not have "easy" kids and we have a habit of also taking on "too much." Help us believe the promise of Gal. 6:9 and persevere in doing your will of parenting our children faithfully. Grant us wisdom for this daunting task. In Christ's name, Amen.Evershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13981549398092045876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15269165.post-1145562625015939032006-04-20T12:03:00.000-07:002006-04-20T21:26:47.766-07:00Reflecting on parenting: patience and givingThis past week we celebrated the birthdays of our oldest two children, now 4 and 2 years old respectively. This has been a trying season for us as parents, with a new addition to our family (our <a href="http://emmalines-adoption.blogspot.com/">adopted daughter</a> from China, aged 14 months) and another girl to be born to us in just five weeks. A couple of thoughts come to mind as I reflect on the past few days.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">On patience</span>: As much as God has given our oldest child a joyful spirit, so too he has "inherited" my energetic personality. And though we've worked very hard to train and mold him, there remains much work. In other words, he can sometimes be very helpful, yet equally so he can be very unhelpful. And in this, we, his parents, have been tested. I've found myself on occasion feeling less than "in love with" this boy of ours—especially in his more selfish and/or self-centered moments.<br /><br />More than once, though, I have been helped by thinking of the "gospel patience" of our God toward not only his enemies but his own adopted children. J.C. Ryle summed this up beautifully in his thoughts on John 13:1-5 (emphasis mine):<blockquote>That He should bear with all their countless infirmities from conversion until death,—that He should never be tired of their endless inconsistencies and petty provocations,—that He should go on forgiving and forgetting incessantly, and never be provoked to cast them off and give them up,—all this is marvellous indeed! <span style="font-style: italic;">No mother watching over the waywardness of her feeble babe, in the days of its infancy [or childhood!], has her patience so thoroughly tried, as the patience of Christ is tried by Christians.</span> Yet His longsuffering is infinite. His compassions are a well that is never exhausted. </blockquote>Just when I'm at the end of myself and have lost patience and I'm about to tell my son that he doesn't deserve to receive all the blessings of being in this family, I recall that even today, I have done things which should merit my being cast out from the family of the redeemed! Ryle continues in that vein, and this helps me to re-orient my heart (to the gospel no less!):<blockquote>This loving Saviour is One who delights to “receive sinners.” (Luke 15:2). Let no man be afraid of going on with Christ, after he has once come to Him and believed. Let him not fancy that Christ will cast him off because of failures and dismiss him into his former hopelessness on account of infirmities. ... Jesus will never reject any servant because of feeble service and weak performance. Those whom He receives He always keeps. Those whom He loves at first He loves at last.</blockquote>And then my heart is strengthened by my Saviour's love. Not only to love my child but to show Him such love as Christ shows His own, so that my children may long to know Him as their Savior as well. After all, I am not merely called to try to order my children's behavior. More than that, I am to present to them by word <span style="font-style: italic;">and example</span> Christ in such a way that they too might entrust their souls to Him.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">On giving: </span>We hadn't intended any particular birthday gifts for the boys, but managed to find some toys on clearance the day after Easter. Seeing the delight in my boys' faces upon receiving these simple gifts—and delighting in their delight—made me think that our Father too must take delight in giving gifts His children. Our Lord, I think, confirmed this idea when he said in Matthew 7:7-11:<blockquote>Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!</blockquote>And again, I'm brought to the reality that everything I do as a parent is an opportunity to reveal the character of my Father in Heaven to my children and lead them to Him. What a kind and generous Father we have through our Lord Jesus Christ!Evershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13981549398092045876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15269165.post-1145421767045129392006-04-18T21:34:00.000-07:002006-04-18T22:06:19.106-07:00Happy Birthday Matthew!Dearest Matthew,<br /><br />You turn four years old today. Your arrival as our first child less than a year after your Mommy and I got married was a bit of a shock. And as much as we prepared for your coming both in terms of practical baby care and parenting tips, these four years have been a roller coaster of unprecedented proportions in our lives. You are quite a handful, my dear boy. And yet, it comes to mind that the Lord has in mind not merely our happiness but our holiness. And in that vein, you have been much used in our lives. Where we might've trusted our own preparations or techniques in raising you, it quickly became clear that what we have needed most is the grace of Christ in our lives to raise you up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.<br /><br />These four years have been a whirlwind. We look forward with both anticipation and no small amount of leaning on God's grace. Happy birthday. I love you very much, my precious Matthew. I look forward to learning together with you of the riches of God's kindness, mercy and riches in Christ in the coming years.<br /><br />Love,<br />Daddy<br /><br />P.S. For our blog visitors who were unable to join our festivities this evening, here are couple of photos of our little birthday celebration.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://static.flickr.com/48/131176280_931d2a5603_b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://static.flickr.com/48/131176280_931d2a5603_b.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://static.flickr.com/51/131176281_98e23f55c2_o.jpg"><img style="margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://static.flickr.com/51/131176281_98e23f55c2_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Evershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13981549398092045876noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15269165.post-1141521612631367152006-03-04T17:03:00.000-08:002006-03-04T21:28:33.790-08:00Hail and snow in San Jose!Kinda cool... yesterday afternoon we had a very heavy hailstorm. Hail came down about that was about 1/8 to 1/4" in diameter. Here's a photo of our back porch:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3618/1408/1600/IMG_0545.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3618/1408/320/IMG_0545.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Needless to say, this is <span style="font-weight: bold;">not</span> typical weather for "sunny" Northern California.<br /><br />On top of that, when we awoke this morning, we saw that a number of the nearby mountains had snow covering. It was especially "heavy" (relatively speaking) on top of Mt. Hamilton, home to the <a href="http://mtham.ucolick.org/">Lick Observatory</a>. So we tried to drive up there, but alas, they'd closed the road up the mountain to prevent a massive traffic jam of other snow-lookers. The best we could do was get this photo of the observatory from the closure point about 11 miles from the top (by road):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3618/1408/1600/IMG_0600.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3618/1408/400/IMG_0600.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Very pretty sight, especially for those of us who don't get to see snow-capped mountains in their locality often.Evershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13981549398092045876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15269165.post-1141431727239451112006-03-03T16:18:00.000-08:002006-03-03T20:57:02.890-08:00Avoiding legalism in the home<a href="http://www.challies.com">Tim Challies</a> has been live-blogging the annual Shepherd's Conference at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, CA.<br /><br />He posted <a href="http://www.challies.com/archives/001702.php">a summary</a> of a message by Carey Hardy titled "<em>How to Raise a Pharisee: Avoiding legalism in the home</em>." I highly recommend it, and it's fairly short. To state the obvious, Hardy's message is directed to help parents <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span> raise their children to be legalists.Evershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13981549398092045876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15269165.post-1140852692172849192006-02-24T23:23:00.000-08:002006-02-24T23:31:32.193-08:00Exciting and humbling: my son thinks the world of meLast night, Matthew asked me how come I was able to do something. I can't remember what it was, but it was something he didn't yet know how to do.<br /><br />I said with a grin and with enthusiasm, "Cuz I ROCK!"<br /><br />And he came right back, "You DO rock!!!"<br /><br />That totally surprised me, though it shouldn't. This nearly four year old boy, as my wife often says, sounds JUST LIKE US! And he thinks his daddy "rocks," which, I think, is how it should be.<br /><br />May I continue to merit such praise in the coming years. I love how much he adores me and looks up to me and it makes me long all the more to model for him godly humility and loving faithfulness as a father and husband.Evershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13981549398092045876noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15269165.post-1140653543566709992006-02-22T15:53:00.000-08:002006-02-22T16:12:23.620-08:00"Lois is my hero!"My wife is amazing. So many other friends (esp. other moms) have said that Lois is their "hero" for her perseverance during this difficult season of life. Yet what I see as her husband is how much she strives to be faithful to the Lord even when she herself is weary. This has been an unbelievably challenging time for her with 3 young children and entering her last trimester carrying our fourth child. That she offers to open our home to others in hospitality (as she just did a few moments ago) for building them up in Christ is a credit to the grace of God in her. I was reminded today of an old Twila Paris classic which seems to describe my beloved so well:<blockquote><span style="font-style:italic;"><span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://www.mp3.com/tracks/3692697/dl_streams.html">The Warrior Is A Child</a></span></span><br /><br />Lately I've been winning battles left and right,<br />But even winners can get wounded in the fight.<br />People say that I'm amazing, strong beyond my years,<br />But they don't see inside of me, I'm hiding all the tears.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Chorus: </span><br />They don't know that I go running home when I fall down.<br />They don't know who picks me up when no one is around.<br />I drop my sword and cry for just a while, <br />'Cause deep inside this armor, the warrior is a child.<br /><br />Unafraid because His armor is the best.<br />But even soldiers need a quiet place to rest.<br />People say that I'm amazing, never face retreat.<br />But they don't see the enemies that lay me at His feet.<br />(chorus)<br /><br />I drop my sword and look up for His smile<br />Because deep inside this armour<br />Deep inside this armour<br />Deep inside this armour<br />The warrior is a child.<br /><br />©1984 Singspiration Music<br /></blockquote><br />My prayer for her today, and each day, will be from Numbers 6:24-26:<blockquote>The Lord bless you and keep you;<br />the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;<br />the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.</blockquote>Evershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13981549398092045876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15269165.post-1140201070936844022006-02-17T10:18:00.000-08:002006-02-17T10:31:14.536-08:00Emmaline's one year photosSome lovely photos we took to celebrate her first birthday...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3618/1408/1600/P59001087_006_069_021606.0.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3618/1408/320/P59001087_006_069_021606.0.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3618/1408/1600/P59001087_006_072_021606.0.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3618/1408/320/P59001087_006_072_021606.0.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3618/1408/1600/P59001087_006_067_021606.0.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3618/1408/320/P59001087_006_067_021606.0.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3618/1408/1600/P59001087_006_066_021606.1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3618/1408/320/P59001087_006_066_021606.0.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Evershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13981549398092045876noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15269165.post-1139521022855663832006-02-09T13:36:00.000-08:002006-02-10T13:29:45.276-08:00Adopting and Rearing Children is PainfulWe have discovered that it is not easy to adopt a child, nor to rear children, biological or adopted. Not only in helping our daughter Emmie adjust to us (which she has done ably) but in our adjusting to her!<br /><br />So why do it? And how to do it? To exalt and exult in the suffiency of God's grace.<br /><br />To quote John Piper, who with his wife Noël, has adopted a girl in addition to their four biological sons, from a <a href="http://www.desiringgod.org/library/sermons/04/062004.html">sermon on adoption</a>:<blockquote>We dare only adopt children if we have a firm faith in the all-sufficiency of God’s future grace.<br /><br />The pain of adopting and rearing children is sure. It will come in one form or the other. Should that stop us from having children or adopting children? No. The self-centered world “cuts their losses” by having few or no children. (And there is way too much of that thinking in the church.) In one sense we may be very glad that such people don’t tend to have children or at least not many children. Because it means that breed of selfish person will die out more quickly since they don’t replace themselves. But on the other hand, we grieve, hoping that they will see that the grace of God is sufficient for every new day no matter how difficult, and that there is more true joy in walking with God through fire, than walking on beaches without him.</blockquote>What a wonderfully poetic way of putting it, that "there is more true joy in walking with God through fire, than walking on beaches without him."Evershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13981549398092045876noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15269165.post-1139354113842328582006-02-07T15:11:00.000-08:002006-02-07T15:17:30.756-08:00My wife is amazingSix months pregnant, caring for three children under 4 years old, she somehow managed to clean our kitchen to the point of that I almost didn't recognize the place. So much junk had accumulated over months on the kitchen table & countertops... yet when I got home yesterday from the office, everything was so perfectly clean and organized that I was in shock.<br /><br />As heavy a burden as being a homeschooling stay-at-home expecting mother has been—both physically and emotionally—this was no small task.<br /><br />Thank you, my dear. You amaze and humble me.Evershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13981549398092045876noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15269165.post-1139359553401170012006-02-03T21:27:00.000-08:002006-02-07T16:45:53.436-08:00The Gospel According to (Our) MatthewAn amusing tidbit and then something more serious...<br><br>We've previously noted that (almost-four-year-old) Matthew has been learning some of the worship hymns that we enjoy. I sing to him every night and he's eventually caught on. One of his favorites is <a href="http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/music/projects/crosssongs/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Before the Throne of God Above</span></a>. He's more or less mastered the first stanza, so he's now trying to put the second to memory. The second half—which is a perfect statement of the gospel—goes:<blockquote>Because the sinless Savior died,<br>My sinful soul is counted free;<br>For God the just is satisfied,<br>To look on him and pardon me.</blockquote>Well, leave it to the active but vocabulary-limited mind of a 3+ year old to come up with a variant on this portion of the song that actually has amusing theological implications (don't worry, we'll correct him sooner or later):<blockquote>Because of sinless Savior died,<br>My sinful soul is counted <span style="font-weight: bold;">three</span>;<br>For God the just is satisfied,<br><span style="font-weight: bold;">To look on him and <span style="font-style: italic;">part of</span> me.</span></blockquote>When I heard this I started cracking up, realizing that the last line is actually the (bad) theological understanding of many false gospels which require works of men to gain approval before God. 'Twas amusing. I'll correct him soon enough...<br><br>On a more serious note, this evening, as I was tucking him into bed, I noticed underneath his bed an array of papers. Apparently, he'd covertly taken a perfectly usable small notepad and pulled every sheet off the pad (leaving a number of blank sheets in a mess). Now, this whole day, he's had a rather poor attitude, so my first instinct was to raise my voice and demand to know why he'd done so obviously a foolish thing (he knows it's not his to mess with and he's got a bad habit of messing with things). But—by God's grace—I restrained that initial response and bought some time by calmly telling him to collect the papers up neatly and give them to me.<br><br>In the meantime, I sat down on the floor. After he collected the papers, he sat on the bed watching and awaiting my reaction. I knew full well the reason he'd taken apart the notepad: his sinful and fallen nature prefers to do things that are "fun" irrespective of others, including their property. To merely rebuke him for doing it was pointless and even counterproductive: as parents, our job is not to be mere legalists, requiring perfection of our children; but evangelists and heart-shepherds, leading our children to see their need for Christ.<br><br>So instead of asking why he'd done it, I told him why: "Do you know what this means? The fact that you took apart mommy's notepad, knowing full well it was against her wishes, shows the wickedness of your heart. You did a wicked thing because you have a wicked heart."<br><br>Now, we've just begun memorizing memory verses together, and he'd just memorized Psalm 1:6, which reads, "For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish." So we'd actually talked about what the word "wicked" meant last night and I'd told him that he had a wicked heart, as did all men, apart from Jesus giving them a <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=ezekiel+36%3A26">new heart</a>.<br><br>So when I said this, he immediately said, "You have a wicked heart too, Daddy." Not maliciously or with ill will, but as a matter of fact.<br><br>So I responded, "Actually, Matthew, I don't. I <span style="font-weight: bold;">had</span> a wicked heart, but Jesus has given me a new heart—a heart to love Him and obey Him and love others."<br><br>He thought about that a moment and said, "I want a new heart too."<br><br>After that, I took a few moments to attempt to convey the real meaning of having a new heart. In other words, it's not like getting new shoes, simply something you acquire with the right amount of asking or money. It's something God gives in the context of conviction of sin and repentance and faith. Mostly, I just told Matthew that I too want him to have a new heart, but it's not as simply as simply wanting a new heart; but also him coming to feel horrible about the wickedness of his current heart. Then, in closing, I prayed that God would give him a new heart—something I pray for him nearly every day—that would hate evil and sin and wicked things, and love Christ.<br><br>If you have a moment, I welcome your prayers on his behalf as well. I give thanks to the Lord for helping me tonight not to preach legalism but the gospel of hope.Evershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13981549398092045876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15269165.post-1138646731239782212006-01-30T10:33:00.000-08:002006-05-17T12:07:47.776-07:00Great resource on gospel-motivated feminine modestyI finally got around to listening to another of the messages that C.J. and Carolyn Mahaney gave at the 2005 Men's and Women's Conference of the <a href="http://www.bclr.org/">Bible Church of Little Rock</a>.<br /><br />This one is titled <a href="http://64.19.50.210/%5Csermons%5C2005%20Sermons%5C2005-09-11_PM.mp3">"The Soul of Modesty"</a> and is a terrific and helpful exposition of Scripture addressing the subject of feminine modesty. However, lest you misunderstand modesty to mean "prudeness" or "unattractive dress," let me commend you to listen to this message, which instead defines modesty in a gospel-centered rather than fashion-centered way. In other words, C.J. is <span style="font-weight:bold;">not</span> interested in having you all dress as if you lived on the set of Little House on the Prairie. Instead, the goal is to dress as women mindful of the gospel, both in relationship to other believers as well as the lost. The message was especially helpful to me as a father of a daughter (soon to be two!) and thinking about how to help them in this area in the future.<br /><br />If you're short on time, a <a href="http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:8Akn9WkaKQIJ:www.sovereigngraceministries.org/sgo/v20no4/prt_modesty.html&hl=en">brief summary of the points made in the message</a> can be found on the Sovereign Grace Ministries site. Nevertheless, I'd encourage you to make the time (about an hour) to hear C.J. deliver this humble and powerful sermon.<br /><br />Note: C.J. makes reference to a helpful two-sheet guide called a "Modesty Heart Check" written by his wife Carolyn and their three daughters. You can <a href="http://www.sovgracemin.org/pdf/teaching/modesty_heart_check.pdf">download that</a> from the same site.<br /><br />UPDATE: The audio & SGM links have been updated.Evershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13981549398092045876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15269165.post-1137279158393889652006-01-14T14:50:00.000-08:002006-01-14T14:52:38.410-08:00Like father, like sonEvers as a baby followed by our dear Andrew at 21 months old.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3618/1408/1600/Evers-in-tub.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3618/1408/320/Evers-in-tub.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3618/1408/1600/andrew-in-high-chair.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3618/1408/320/andrew-in-high-chair.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Evershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13981549398092045876noreply@blogger.com1