Receiving Rebuke

The more we learn to allow others to speak the Word to us, to accept humbly and gratefully even severe reproaches and admonitions, the more free and objective will we be in speaking ourselves. The person whose touchiness and vanity make him spurn a brother's earnest censure cannot speak the truth in humility to others; he is afraid of being rebuffed and of feeling that he has been aggrieved. The touchy person will always become a flatterer and very soon he will come to despise and slander his brother. But the humble person will stick both to truth and to love. He will stick to the Word of God and let it lead him to his brother. Because he seeks nothingfor himself and has no fears for himself, he can help his brother through the Word. (Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. "Life Together." San Francisco, CA: Harper Collins. 1954 p106-107)

This morning I was rebuked by someone I didn't know (and so I don't know if she was a sister or not), and recalled these words of Bonhoeffer. I need reminders like this of how to receive rebuke - both for myself, and to teach Elisabeth how to receive rebuke.

Home Grown World Christians

I often think about how to cultivate a global Christian perspective, and how to impart it to Elisabeth. My friend Lauren recommended this, which I thought was great. I need people like that (both Lauren, and Noel Piper, the author), who prod me to think about how we are raising Elisabeth to see God's world through His eyes.

Life Together: A Book Review

Dietrich Bonhoeffer speaks with authority on the dynamics of life together in Christ. His book offers both the theological framework for understanding Christian community (which I found riveting, clear, and immensely helpful) and practical advice for living the life together. His practical counsel flows from his own experience of Christian community, and is therefore valid - and limited. At times his counsel sounds like pontification; at others it has the ring of truth that transcends culture and circumstances. If one listens for that ring of truth there is much to be gleaned.

Bonhoeffer unfolds the interrelationship of community and aloneness. "Let him who cannot be alone beware of community. . . . Let him who is not in community beware of being alone." He constantly upholds Christ as the only source of true relationship with others, and the Word of Christ as that which defines and integrates our corporate life.

I heartily recommend Life Together for growing together in Christ.

Elisabeth enjoyed watercolors yesterday, with this colorful result.

Seeking book recommendations

Recently we had someone very generously give us a check "to be used only for books." So I am looking for recommendations on the best Christian children's literature, particularly works that expand a child's worldview (e.g. Windows on the World) or that are great literature (e.g. Tales of the Restoration). So what do you recommend?

The solemn joy of parenting

"And His mercy is for those who fear Him
from generation to generation" (Luke 1:50)

These words bid all parents to love their children by teaching them to fear the Lord. His mercy is for those who fear Him! If we want our children to taste the joys and freedom of God's mercy, we must teach them to fear Him - first by modeling, and also with words. This is our solemn responsiblity, and our great and overflowing joy.

Another one from the new camera

Hello?

Does anyone use Hello? It looks like it has clever interface with Blogger, and has the beauty of being able to share with a discrete list securely. I think I'll try it unless someone someone can counsel me otherwise.

Is it my turn now?

To turn the hearts of the fathers

Even before the birth of John the Baptist, his role was revealed:

And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared. (Luke 1:16-17)

John is to cause others to turn, to repent. It is not surprising that he will turn the children of Israel to the Lord, nor that he will draw the disobedient to turn to wisdom. A prophet turns people from idols to the Lord, from rebellion to wisdom. Yet sandwiched in this turning to make ready a people prepared for the Lord is this phrase: to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children.

Sin has broken the father-child relationship, mirroring the destruction of our relationship with our Father who made us. In God's scheme of redemption, the father-child relationship must be restored. Luke could have quoted all of Malachi 4:6, the closing words of the Old Testament:

"And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”

Yet he does not mention the work of turning the hearts of children to their fathers, but only of fathers to their children. Turning the hearts of fathers to their children is at the very heart of repentance unto salvation. God give us grace to so live, to turn the hearts of fathers to their children - and to strengthen them in that repentance - to make ready for the Lord a people prepared!

A new camera

After over three weeks of waiting for Best Buy to repair my camera, they finally said yesterday that they can't get the part in a timely manner and replaced the camera instead. Since they didn't have my old Canon a610, I moved up to the a540. So look for some new pictures soon!

A tear-free bath

Yesterday was a milestone. For the first time in a very long while Elisabeth had her hair washed without copious tears. We picked a foam rubber visor made by Sassy (I looked all over the web for a picture to put up here, but couldn't find one) at Babies'R'Us. They kept the water out of her eyes, and her hair was properly rinsed for the first time in ages. And there was great rejoicing!

I don't want to use that one!

Yesterday we were in the park enjoying the flowers. Elisabeth told me that she needed to use the potty, so we found a public restroom. (We have already had the conversation that we only use the men's room, since daddies can't go in the ladies' room.) I pulled the stroller in, and parked it outside a stall, in front of a urinal (so that we could go into the stall). Elisabeth pointed to the urinal and quickly said,

"I don't want to use that one!"

Good choice, sweetheart.

From the archives

Since the camera still isn't back, here's a picture from last month at the fountain.

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.