Then I'll sign off

As we walked up the stairs to our apartment tonight, Elisabeth talked to her Aunt Kate on my cell phone. She narrated the events:

"We were on the bus, and then we came through the door. Now we're walking up the stairs. We will get to our apartment, and then I'll sign off."

If there was ever any question, there is no longer: Kids pick up our figures of speech.

Preaching as Expository Exultation

As I'm getting ready to preach in August, I am often meditating on the Scriptures I'll be preaching, and on the responsibility of preaching itself. I received hearty encouragement from John Piper's Preaching as Expository Exultation in the Glory of God in which he says:

What gives preaching its seriousness is that the mantle of the preacher is soaked with the blood of Jesus and singed with fire of hell.

What you believe about the necessity of preaching and the nature of preaching is governed by your sense of the greatness and the glory of God and how you believe people awaken to that glory and live for that glory.

That's why I believe meditation is so crucial in preparation.

Still no camera

I surrendered my beloved camera to Best Buy on May 8 because the shoot/view button was not working. I could shoot pictures, but couldn't view them, and therefore couldn't move them to my computer. Happy to have a service contract, I brought it to them to be repaired . . .

They said it would be completed by May 20. It is now May 31, and I haven't taken a picture in 23 days, and I'm starting to twitch.

No, I want to cry right now

Elisabeth is famous for her bedtime (and naptime) antics. Today she was fussing around naptime. I asked her to stop fussing, which she did, and asked her if she would like a drink. She replied,

"No, I want to cry right now."

Who says kids don't know what they're doing?

I'm glad your kid is not perfect

This afternoon I was talking with a friend who has a daughter five months younger than Elisabeth. I explained that I had put Elisabeth in the Wanderer (backpack) to take a nap while I went for a hike, since she refused to go down quietly in the pack'n'play at Pop-pop's house.

My friend answered this way: "Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm glad your kid is not perfect."

I understood immediately. There is a wonderful freedom in transparency among friends. My friend wasn't delighting in my trials, he was being assured that we really live in the same world. We realize that we all struggle with similar things (or different things, but the point is that we all struggle). In fact, I would say that true friendship only exists where there is this kind of transparency - not reveling in our own or others' problems, but recognizing our shared need for Christ and His grace.

Taking time to smell the flowers

Elisabeth loves flowers, so we often make our way to the gardens.

For His own self

The fourth question of the catechism we are using asks, Why did God make all things? The correct answer is: For His own glory.

However, as Elisabeth was learning the catechism, she didn't catch the glory bit, and so would regularly answer, "For His own self." Her answer caused me to think. "For His own self" is not that far off the mark of "For His own glory" and may be a good entry point for a child to understand.

Learning from history

I often hear American Christians bemoan the lack of prayer in schools, Scripture on the walls, and creation in the classroom. From their groanings, I presume that they want these things to be not only permitted, but sanctioned, by the state. We would do well to consider the history of the church, and the words of John Wesley:

Persecution never did, never could, give any lasting wound to genuine Christianity. But the greatest it ever received, the grand blow which was struck at the very root of that humble, gentle, patient love, which is the fulfilling of the Christian law, the whole essence of true religion, was struck in the fourth century by Constantine the Great, when he called himself a Christian, and poured in a flood of riches, honours, and power upon the Christians; more especially upon the Clergy.

Is it not clear that the Kingdom comes not with political, but spiritual, authority? Does it not thrive and become refined under pressure? Are we not to expect that the world will hate us as it hated our Lord? From where have we gotten this foolish notion that a Christian nation is a possibility, let alone something to be desired?

I am not saying that we should not value freedom to preach, persuade, gather and publish. We should value these things for all people, but we should not therefore assume that the state will embrace, or ought to promote our King Jesus. (Piper says these things more clearly than I can here, here and here.)

Getting in touch with her emotions

Yesterday at the park Elisabeth and I played in the sandbox. During that time she turned to me and said,

"I just want to sit in the stroller and see how I'm feeling."

I'm glad to see her reflecting on her emotions.

Getting Penny settled

 

Dare to be a Daniel

Daniel is one of my greatest heroes, but I fear his example is being degraded by marketing. Today I got a letter marketing Dare to be a Daniel:

"Are you saddened as you watch our country's public schools systematically eliminate any trace of God from the classroom? . . . It's a shame and disgrace that our society has come to this."

"Write today for your free copy of Dare to be a Daniel. Also enclosed is a free CD-ROM with music, video testimonies from artists and athletes, text of the entire Bible, mutimedia spiritual helps and much more. When participants complete the training, we'll send them a set of etched metal dog tags inscribed with Bible verses and a personalized, high-impact ID card."

Few things would thrill me like a generation of Daniel-like evangelists. I often pray for the gift of evangelism, as well as for simple boldness in constantly sharing the good news. I am encouraged that there are people who want to encourage and enable youth to share the gospel.

Yet my hope is not that kids will be allowed to pray in school, or that Christianity will be taught in the classroom, or that the Ten Commandments will hang on the wall. My hope is that Christ will so reign in the hearts of His redeemed people that we bring Him glory in every context. Not only that, but we will assume that the world is going to hate us because it hated Jesus: we, like our Lord, testify that what it does is evil, and offer same mercy He did.

How do dog tags and a high-impact ID card encourage that kind of Christ-loving boldness?

The Ministry of Helpfulness

Nobody is too good for the meanest service. One who worries about the loss of time that such petty, outward acts of helpfulness entail is usually taking the importance of his career too solemnly.

We must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God. God will be constantly crossing our paths and canceling our plans by sending us people with claims and petitions. We may pass them by, preoccupied with our more important tasks, as the priest passed by the man who had fallen among thieves, perhaps - reading the Bible. When we do that we pass by the visible sign of the Cross raised athward our path to show us that, not our way, but God's way must be done. . . .

Only where hands are not too good for deeds of love and mercy in everyday helpfulness can the mouth joyfully and convincingly proclaim the message of God's love and mercy.

Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. "Life Together." San Francisco, CA.1954: Harper Collins. pp 99, 100

Bonhoeffer refreshed me yesterday with this reminder of true humility. Could it be that the last sentence is the reason that our witness is so often lacking in power?

"I will finish my mouthful and then I can talk"

As we were eating dinner on Sunday, I asked Elisabeth what happened in the nursery at church in the morning. She responded,

"I will finish my mouthful and then I can talk."

She's learning quickly. Too bad Daddy tries to get her to speak when she's eating . . .

I want to keep these clothes on forever.

Last night at dinner I told Elisabeth that we were going to change into her pajamas before dessert. Not to be dettered by anything that might keep her from dessert, she said:

"I want to keep these clothes on forever."

A Work in Watercolor

Elisabeth's Pop-pop is a fantastic watercolor painter. (We have a beautiful watercolor of Elisabeth in our home.) So today Elisabeth tried her hand at her Pop-pop's art (with some top-notch supplies from a loving Aunt & Uncle).

Overwhelmed

I have been asked to preach in August, and, in order to begin preparing, I just looked at the readings for that Sunday. When I did, I was overwhelmed with awe of God. The texts are:

Deuteronomy 8:1-10
Ephesians 4:25-5:2
John 6:37-51
Psalm 34

John 6:37-40 is, to me, the most precious passage in all of Scripture.

"Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and anyone who comes to me I will never drive away; for I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day."

If I had been asked to choose my own text, this is the one that I would have chosen. And the others are no less weighty. Pslam 34 is one of the most evangelistic, worshipful psalms in the psalter.

Proclaim with me the greatness of the LORD;
let us exalt his Name together.

Paul's words to the Ephesians call us to that same God-entranced life:

"Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God" but "be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love . . ."

From the mouth of Moses:

"The LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, in order to humble you . . . in order to make you understand that one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. . . . Know then in your heart that as a parent disciplines a child so the LORD your God disciplines you."

Father, I am again astounded at Your sovereignty and mercy in allowing me to bring Your gracious words to Your people. Fill me with Your Spirit and power to walk in that Way that I will proclaim.

Just hanging out

A walk in the park

Preaching & Preachers

For the past several months, I have been reading Martyn Lloyd-Jones' Preaching & Preachers with several friends. It has been my first exposure to Lloyd-Jones, and I've thoroughly enjoyed it. Here's a smattering of why it has been so rich:

The prime and greatest need in the pulpit is spiritual authority. (p159)

He quotes Martin Luther as saying:

'When I preach I regard neither doctors nor magistrates, of whom I have about forty in the congregation. I have all my eyes on the servant maids and children. And if the learned men are not well pleased with what they hear, well, the door is open.' (p128)

He has a full understanding of preaching, theology and experience:

[Preaching] is theology on fire. And a theology which does not take fire, I maintain, is a defective theology; or at least the man's understanding of it is defective. Preaching is theology coming through a man who is on fire. A true understanding and experience of the Truth must lead to this. (p97)

As I've read, I've reflected on why Lloyd-Jones is so refreshing to read. Several reasons are prominent:

1. He believes that unction is as important as preparation, and that the Spirit comes on preachers as they wait on Him and prepare.
2. He commends the study of Revival and the biographies of great Christians to kindle our love for Christ and our expectation of His action.
3. He despises fleshly methods.
4. He contends that the character of the preacher is as important as his preaching.

If you're looking for a great read on preaching, here's a great one.

Lead us not into temptation

Yesterday I asked Elisabeth if she wanted to do Starfall, a phonics website that she loves. My Palm was sitting on the table near the laptop, and Elisabeth said:

"Daddy, can you please move your Palm so I won't have temptation with it?"

What a beautiful picture of the supplication in the Lord's Prayer.

Teaching right comparison

I have often felt that it is not right to say, "We don't have it as hard as ______." The intent is to say that we ought not to complain, because compared to others we have it good. I am not now disputing that we who live in America have it easier than the vast majority of the world. I am, however, saying that this is not the way to teach ourselves, or our children, contentment.

Paul says, "I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed to us" (Romans 8:18) and "this slight and momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are temporary, but the things that are unseen are eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:17-18). Paul consistently compares our woes to glory. Our woes are temporary; glory is eternal. Our woes are slight; glory is weighty. The problem is that our woes are "seen" but the glory is as yet "unseen." So Paul's prescription for joy, hope and contentment in our lives here is to set our eyes on what is unseen, glorious, weighty and eternal. Then we will not complain for the RIGHT reasons, not because we have it better than other folks, but because whatever we experience is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.

Love your enemies

This afternoon I descended the stairs from our apartment to street level. When I reached the security door at the bottom, I saw a very large woman sitting on the step between me and the sidewalk. I opened the door (which opens inward) and said, "Excuse me," to let the woman know that I wanted to pass. I had Elisabeth in the Wanderer (at right) on my back and couldn't get past what I took to be a 300 plus pound woman without bumping into her.

Silence. I tried again: "Excuse me."

Still nothing. I spoke a little louder, thinking she might be partially deaf, or listening to headphones, or not hearing me because of the street noise.

After six or seven attempts at excusing myself, the woman turned her head and said, "Go, a**hole!"

"There isn't space," I replied.

"Go, a**hole!" she demanded.

I didn't try to explain again, as she clearly didn't want to hear it. But I was still inside, with an angry 300 pound woman between me and the sidewalk. I paused and prayed silently for her, and for wisdom. That only made her more agitated, and elicited more a**hole comments.

Realizing that patience and courtesy would inflame the situation rather than resolving it, I did my best to step over/around her without banging her with my legs or the Wanderer. When I stepped onto the sidewalk, her first words were, "See, a**hole?" I held my tongue and walked silently away.

As I walked away, I meditated on Jesus' words, "Bless those who curse you" and "Love your enemies." I need to learn from Him in the peaceful times, so that when hostile situations suddenly present themselves, I am at rest in Him, and His love for the unkind can flow through me - so that He gets the glory.

Amid the blossoms

Elisabeth and Penelope paused for a rest on the way through the park. (This is the first in a series . . .)

In the midst of your enemies

The Kingdom is to be in the midst of your enemies. And he who will not suffer this does not want to be of the Kingdom of Christ; he wants to be among friends, to sit among roses and lilies, not with the bad people but the devout people. O you blasphemers and betrayers of Christ! If Christ had done what you are doing who would ever been spared? (Martin Luther, quoted by Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. "Life Together." San Francisco, CA: Harper Collins. 1954 p17-18)

When I read things like this, my heart says, "Yes!" It resonates with the good news of the One who did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, the One who had no sin and became sin for us. This good news is always on the move deeper into enemy territory.

From the only person who hasn't read the book

I was reading on Reuter's about the upcoming Da Vinci Code film, and their reference to a New Yorker article caught my eye:

Journalist Peter Boyer, who analyzed in this week's New Yorker how Hollywood carefully handled the marketing of the movie, said that at the heart of the book is a thesis that: "Christianity as we know it is history's greatest scam, perpetrated by a malignant, misogynist, and, when necessary, murderous Catholic Church (Reuters).

Since I haven't read the book, I thought that Boyer might help bring me up to speed. He did:

The premise of Brown’s story is that Jesus of Nazareth was, in the words of a “Da Vinci” character, “a great and powerful man, but a man nonetheless. A mortal.”

“Almost everything our fathers taught us about Christ is false,” one of the book’s main characters declares.

Boyer, who makes no apparent claims of faith in the article, has this take on the book's presentation:

Brown had asserted this veracity [of the book's historical claims] both implicitly (through the device of assigning historical exposition to his fictional scholars) and explicitly (beginning the book with a “fact” page that erroneously asserted, for example, that his shadowy Priory of Sion—“a European secret society founded in 1099—is a real organization”).

[Dan Brown] told Charles Gibson, on “Good Morning America,” that if the book had been nonfiction his factual assertions would not have changed.

One of the most interesting aspects of the article (which was its central thread) is how Sony has engaged Christian Da Vinci Debunkers to its website in order to keep them from protesting, picketing and boycotting (which would obviously hurt their income). One of the Christian contributors explains it this way:

[Darrell] Bock says. “Rather than simply whining and complaining, although there are still elements that do that, there is a substantial group that says, No, on this one we’re going to engage. So we’re not going to talk boycott. We’re not going to protest, we’re simply going to take the facts that were presented in this novel and we’re going to engage them, and we’re going to try to show people that there’s a good, substantive reply to what’s going on here.”

The net effect is Sony will make a lot of money (I predict), and many, many people will see a film that brazenly presents fiction as fact. Our great opportunity is not to stick our heads in the sand, but to take this occasion to boldly engage our friends, neighbors and colleagues who see the film, not only concerning the historical realities, but the present spiritual reality of our Lord and Christ.

A good laugh

For those who haven't seen it yet, Justin Taylor has a hilarious post on a Case of Mistaken Identity.

Back on the slides

Elisabeth has come full circle. Last fall she loved to play on the slides, and would climb up and slide down with joy. Then, for some reason, in our last few weeks of playpark time before winter, she became timid and didn't like the slides at all. (She simply refused to go down.)

In the spring, she started off in that timid mode, and refused to go down the slides. However, a few weeks ago, her nerve returned and she's been happlily going down all the slides!

Just hanging around

Honoring defined

As a parent and former teacher, there few realities that I think are more weighty than honor. The first phrase of the Lord's prayer is: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name . . ." (Matthew 6:9) which is another way to say, 'May your name be honored.' The fifth commandment is: "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you" (Ex 20:12). I have found Ted Tripp tremendously helpful in translating this into parenting:

Honoring parents mean to treat them with respect and esteem because of their position of authority. It is honoring them because of their role of authority. If a child is going to honor his parents, it will be a result of two things: 1) The parent must train him to do so. 2) The parent must be honorable in his conduct and demeanor.
It is not easy to train children to honor parents in a culture in which no one is honored. One of the clearest ways to show honor is in the way children speak to their parents. Children must never speak to their parents in imperatives. They must never speak to Mom and Dad as they would speak to a peer. They must be taught to express their thoughts in a manner that shows proper respect. . . .
Do not wait for this training until your children are teenagers. If you do, you will suffer the indignity of their disrespect. Deal with this in the first several years. Respectful teenagers are developed when they are 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5, not at 13, 14, 15, or 16. (If you find yourself confronted with disrespectful teens, get these concepts under your belt and talk with them about how you should have raised them.) (Tripp, Ted. "Shepherding a Child's Heart." Walwallopen, PA: Shepherd Press. 1995. pp132-133)

Another milestone

Last night Elisabeth dressed herself for bed all by herself. She's been able to do underpants, pants and socks for a while, but last night was her first great success with getting a shirt over the head, facing the right direction, and then getting the arms through the sleeves (before becoming overwhelmed).

Next thing you know, she'll be driving!

Awakening

My dad gave me a copy of a new biography of Robert Murray McCheyne called Awakening, which I have begun reading with great interest, not least because it is written by the man who now pastors St. Peter's Free Church in Dundee, where McCheyne served over one hundred fifty years ago (so you can expect to see some highlights).

McCheyne was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on May 21, 1813. His biographer describes his early life this way:

"Coming from a church-going family with a deeply held, biblically based moral principles, and writing about 'the Lamb of God being the joy and portion of my soul', there are many who would assume that McCheyne that McCheyne belonged to a Christian family where biblical Christianity was practised and believed. Yet that was not the case. The religion of the family was fairly typical of the Edinburgh upper middle class at the time; respectable, church going and involving regular daily family worship . . . . Certainly there was a respect instilled for the church and the Bible, and there were many excellent moral habits taught, but McCheyne himself felt that the 'heart of the matter' was missing" (Robertson, David. "Awakening: The Life and Ministry of Robert Murray McCheyne." Waynseboro, GA: Paternoster Press. 2004. p18)

A Daddy - daughter conversation

Elisabeth: "I'm going to go to the potty."

Dad: "That's a good idea."

Elisabeth: "And I'm not going to stand up."

Dad: "That's an even better idea."

On Being Black and Reformed

I am captivated by race and culture. Seldom a day goes by that I don't reflect on how race and culture affect society and the church.

Today I noticed it in my own racism. At the playground, when two boys started fighting and their nannies sat obliviously on a distant bench, I noticed my prejudice against black nannies. I realized that because of my experience with particular people, (I lived in a black neighborhood for five years, and taught in a school there for three years) I tend to generalize in ways that are not true, fair or helpful.

I am deeply grateful to have had my racism exposed in an encounter with Anthony Carter. I just finished reading his book On Being Black and Reformed, and highly recommend it. In the first few pages, I was rebuked for my own racism. I had not expected Carter to be so articulate, well-read, clear, orthodox and gracious. Yet now that I have finished, I can say that I have not encountered any writer of any color who tackles the issues of race and theology as well as he does.

For some years, I have been praying for an African-American man to disciple me. (I've even been so bold as to ask for one of the stature of Jonathan Edwards.) Carter has reminded me that I'm not going to find anyone of the stature of Edwards (who Carter thinks is peerless among American theologians), but that there are Christ-enthralled black men who stand in the faith and theology of Edwards, and have a unique, desperately-needed historical awareness that I cannot learn first-hand.

God, send me a mentor like Anthony Carter!

Throwing a Soccer Ball

Who can comment?

I just got a recommendation from a good friend:

"I suggest that you change the settings so that people can leave comments without signing up with Blogger--especially since when you sign up, it tries to force you to start a blog."

In an effort to prevent spambots, I had allowed only "registered users" to post comments, which is why it was forcing people to sign up with blogger to comment. Sorry for the mistake.

I look forward to your comments now that the settings are changed!

If I can only teach you one thing

For three years I taught in a public elementary school. I repeatedly told my second- and third-grade students, "If I can only teach you one thing, I will teach you to listen, because if you can listen well, you can learn anything." I stand by that. Good listening skills serve a child well in all of life, particularly in the toughest classrooms where many of their peers are not as interested in learning. Active listening skills are essential in resolving conflict peacefully.

Now as we are raising a toddler, I realize that I need to practice what I preach. One of the greatest skills I can teach Elisabeth is how to be an active, attentive listener.

Once, after my assistant principal observed a lesson I taught, she said to me, "You need to repeat your directions to the students. Children learn by repetition." She was right. Children do learn by repetition. However, she was entirely wrong on the application. If I consistently repeat myself, my students will learn not to listen the first time. That brief conversation has taught me much in parenting:

Speak once, and expect your children to listen. Children live up to the expectations placed on them.

I'm potty-trained!

Elisabeth has been potty-trained for several months now. However, she turned to me yesterday out of the blue and said, "I'm potty-trained!" She knows it.

We got a map to show you Afghanistan

Every night I pray with Elisabeth before she goes to sleep. We regularly pray for friends of ours serving as missionaries in other countries. One of those families lives in Afghanistan, and we pray for them most nights. Not long ago, Elisabeth began asking, "Where's Afghanistan?" I tried to explain, but realized a map might be worth a thousand words. So we got a map and brought it home. I put it aside until I could find some sticky tack to hang it on Elisabeth's bedroom wall. One day when Rebecca came home from work, Elisabeth brought her the map, all rolled up, and said to Rebecca, "We got a map to show you where Afghanistan is." (Yes, she enunciated all the syllables.) A 2-year-old mind is an amazing thing.

Crossing the Bridge

I like to sit and think

"I found a place where I like to sit and think."

Gardens

Elisabeth and I often go to vist the gardens.

She loves to point out the daffodils, and I love her curls.

Using a Catechism

Recently we have begun using a simple children's catechism at bed time along with our regular Bible reading. My 1st Book of Questions and Answers is an abridged and expanded version of the Westminster shorter catechism. It is abridged in giving only one text for each answer, and in drastically simplifying the language for children. It is expanded in incorporating important questions to help young children understand.

I have been amazed at how Elisabeth, approaching 29 months, loves the catechism. It shouldn't surprise me. It is a book of questions, and she is constantly full of questions. She loves knowing the answers to questions that we ask her. What better fit for a toddler than a book full of questions and answers?

'Please' and prayer

In the process of teaching Elisabeth conventions of courtesy, I have had many occasions to think about prayer.

When Elisabeth was first learning to say 'please' and 'thank you', she viewed 'please' as a truly magic word. She knew that we expected to hear it with every request, and she learned that it was the way to get what she wanted. When she asked for something she could not have using the word 'please' she would get very upset when the answer was 'no.' We had to explain repeatedly that, although she had asked nicely, we could not give her what she asked, and we would explain the reason.

I think there is a remarkable parallel to prayer. We are given magnificent access to a gracious Father who invites us to ask for things. So when we ask nicely and don't receive what we asked, we very easily get bent out of shape. What we often fail to realize is that many of the things for which we ask nicely are not truly good for us, or the time is not right, and so they are withheld in love. I often withhold good things from Elisabeth because the time is not right, or because giving it to her would not be good in the long run. How much more does our wise Father withhold for our good!

I want to walk when I'm finished fussing

Today on our walk home from church, Elisabeth tripped and fell. I was holding her hand, and was able to keep her from landing too hard on her knees, but she got a small graze nonetheless, and started crying. We continued walking, and she whimpered. I consoled her, and told her it wasn't so bad. In the midst of her whimpering, she paused and said, "I want to walk when I'm finished fussing." It is amazing what presence of mind and clarity of articulation a little girl with a wounded knee can have.

Kyle, come wipe me

Yesterday some of our good friends from college came to visit. On the evening of their arrival, Elisabeth headed for the potty and said, "Kyle, come wipe me." All of us burst out laughing at her uninhibited invitation to Kyle to join her potty routine.

Feed reader

My sister-in-law let me in on a clever way to know when there is new content on this blog (as she loves Elisabeth, and likes to know what's going on).

This blog produces a "feed" which is a way that browsers can read latest content in a syndicated form. If you copy and paste the atom feed (which can always be found on the sidebar to the right) into a feed reader, it will draw the latest content onto the page you chose. (I use feeds on my google homepage to keep on news, blogs and weather.)

For example, I use gmail for my email provider. Above my inbox, I receive my "feeds" from news sources, blogs and educational sources of my choice. To include this blog among those feeds, I simply go to Settings, Web Clips, and paste the atom feed (http://leavened.blogspot.com/atom.xml) into the box that says Search by topic or url:, click ok, and from then on, I will see the titles of recent posts in my feed reader.

If you use Google to search, you can add the feed to your search page by pasting the atom feed here.

Mommy is a doctor; Daddy is a boy

Elisabeth uttered these words this morning:

Mommy is a doctor; Daddy is a boy

Both statements are true, even if the categories are a bit confused.

Starfall!

Recently I recalibrated the mouse on our computer so that it was not so responsive. That small change has meant that Elisabeth can now manipulate the mouse very capably. That, in turn, has set me searching for good websites for toddlers.

We have deliberately chosen toys for Elisabeth throughout her first two years that are non-electronic. So she has learned to play with wooden toys, stuffed animals, playdough, crayons, etc. I think it has encouraged her imagination, and has preserved our sanity. However, that decision has also excluded some toys that I think are genuinely helpful, including those that help children develop letter symbol/name/sound associations. Some of this can be well done through parent interaction, such as playing with letter-shaped refrigerator magnets. However, particularly with letter sounds (not names) I have found that other neumonic devices are helpful.

A friend pointed me to a website that has genuinely impressed me: Starfall. It is the most impressive literacy website I've seen. Elisabeth loves it. She now knows the names of the letters, and connects most consonants to their regular sounds (such that I can ask, "What letter makes _ sound?" or "What sound does _ make?")! I wish that I had known of it in my teaching years. It is one of the ALA (American Library Association) Great Websites for Kids, which I also recommend visiting to find the best of the web from their perspective.

Excusing myself from adult conversation

I am learning that it is important to excuse myself from adult conversation in order to be a parent. If Elisabeth is doing something that she should not be doing, I need to address it quickly and directly rather than finishing my conversation first. The result is that she has clear expectations, sees consistent discipline, and doesn't develop bad habits.

In the end, I've found that my adult conversations are actually enriched. I only have to interrupt the conversation once (and briefly, at that), and then Elisabeth experiences the freedom to do things she's allowed to do.

Tweaking

As I'm still new at using blogger.com, there is much I have to learn about how to tweak the site. I've added some sidebars (at right) for parenting resources, good kids' lit, and toddler sites, but I'd love to build it out. Ideally I'd like to find a way to post a short review/recommendation for each resource, as well as subdividing them into categories. For example, I want to subdivide children's literature into books that teach particular skills or concepts well so that it is clear in which category a book falls, and why it is recommended.

So . . . if anyone has experience with blogger (or is just really clever with html), I'd welcome your comments and input to help me make the site more useful.

Making Mommy nervous

Elisabeth loves the phrase "making Mommy nervous", and she often attempts things that make Mommy nervous:
Yes, her potty is positioned on top of the stool (somehow, without falling off).

A faint voice

Yesterday I put Elisabeth down for a nap and closed the door to her bedroom. (Our apartment is a railroad, which means that it is one long, narrow string of rooms without hallways. You simply walk through one room to the next.) So I was on the living room/bathroom/kitchen side of the apartment, and Elisabeth was in her room, which adjoins to a small office next to our bedroom.

Elisabeth had been sleeping nicely for about two hours when I needed to make a phone call. In order not to wake her up, I went into the kitchen (the most distant point from her bedroom in our long string of rooms). As I was dialing, I heard a faint child's voice, and assumed that it was our three-year-old neighbor downstairs, who can often be heard through the floor. I then realized that the voice was coming over the baby monitor in the kitchen, but was remarkably faint to be coming from Elisabeth's room (where the transmitter is).

So I ran quickly to her room and opened the door, only to find her bed empty. I looked down through the office and into our bedroom, where I saw Elisabeth curled up on our bed!
I asked her how she got there. Apparently, when I closed the door to her bedroom, she quietly got out of her bed, went down to our bedroom and snuggled up with the other monitor receiver (in her hand in the picture) on our bed, where she slept peacefully for over two hours!

Literary Allusion

Two days ago, Elisabeth and I headed out for a late-afternoon romp in the playground (having failed at our attempted nap). As we walked out the door, she turned to Rebecca and said, "I love you anyway!" drawing a great line from a great book: Olivia, by Ian Falconer.

Splendid flowers

Today we ventured to Fort Tryon Park for a play date, but arrived early and so got to enjoy the Heather Gardens.

"Or maybe kangaroos?"

Preparing for a walk along the river this evening, I asked Elisabeth, "What do you think we might see?"

"We might see fish," she replied, "or maybe kangaroos."

Tired kids take good naps

A long walk through the park and some fun on a tire swing made for a 3 hour nap today.

On the title

In the past several years, I have begun to get a glimpse of the Kingdom of God. I have begun to see its centrality in all of life, history and Scripture. Of all of Jesus' Kingdom parables, one that has impressed me most deeply is the parable of the leaven in Matthew 13:33.

I love the picture it presents of a pervasive power that works from the inside out, and has its effect on everything it touches. I long for this in my own heart, my family, our church and all the world: that Christ would be all in all.

Beginnings

Inspired by The Trixie Update, Between Two Worlds and The Children's Hour, I am excited to blog the joys of being a child of God, and the related joys and responsibilities of being a husband and father. You can expect to see:

• Elisabeth pictures
• Elisabeth quotables
• Recommendations of:
• great children's literature
• quality children's toys (and paraphenalia)
  
• parenting resources
• Reflections on:
• theology
• spirituality
  
• parenting
• education
• literacy
• race & culture

Of course, a blog is a conversation, so I welcome your input on content and style (or tech tips) that will make this blog a good read.