Love this man

Things that make my day (whose day wouldn’t be made by these?) are sweet little unexpected notes.  I had left a letter for Paul on his computer, just to express my adoration of his following the call of the Lord, and he responded with this.  I thought I could post it here since he made it a public statement on facebook!

Paul wrote on your Wall:

“that was such a wonderful and encouraging note you left for me tonight!

God’s calling on my life involves being with you… so of course its a clear choice.  I have no idea why I get such an amazing woman to share my life with, but Praise God, the giver of good gifts!”

What is America’s favorite pasttime?  What activity do more Americans regularly get together to do (beyond families eating meals together)?

You might be thinking watch football or some other kind of sport.  Or what do you think???

It’s Worshipping God.  The #1 most popular communal activity in America.

Between 80-90 million watch the super bowl each year, and that’s the single biggest football watching day.  Polls estimate between 26% and 47% of people attend church on any given sunday.  With about 300 million people in the US, that means between 78 and 144 million people show up any sunday to Worship God.  121 million people showed up to vote for president in 2004.  There’s a possibility that more people show up to choose God as their king than voting for president.

God is kind of a big deal.

I see a lot of these “Coexist” bumper stickers.  Every time I see one, I think to myself… wow, that’s a pretty low bar.  Let’s tolerate eachother just enough not to kill eachother.  Sure, I agree with that (killing IS wrong), but is that a great ultimate goal?  Shouldn’t hope, love, and harmony be our goal?

A whole other issue with the bumper sticker is that it uses religious symbols.  It’s basically implying that religion is the cause of disunity.  Of course, the real problem is man’s sin (especially his pride and his inexhaustable lust)… but I’ll continue with this post…

The Bible exhorts us to look forward to a much better future than mere coexistance, a time when “our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18).  We look forward to when “the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them.  They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.  He will wipe every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelations 21:3-4).  This is a time when “a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language” will live in peace and harmony, worshiping and glorifying God (Rev. 7:9).  

How amazing will this peace be?  ”The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.  The cow will fead with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox.  The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper’s nest.  They will neither harm nor destroy on all [God's] holy mountain for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:6-9).

Whoa!  That blows me away just reading it.  I think that’s a bit more than coexisting.  Even animals that by their very nature eat other animals will instead live in harmony and love.  All creation – not just mankind – will live in harmony.

THAT is the goal I look forward to and strive for, when God establishes all justice and peace.  Truth will be established and known.  There will be perfect unity, perfect love, perfect peace, and perfect worship of God (or at least as perfect as imperfect humans can get).  That is true peace.  And it only comes from, by, and through the Prince of Peace.

For those of you who do not get this in the mail, check out our October 2008 update and support newsletter.

It is in PDF format.  Enjoy

We’re goin’ for it….. cloth diapers.  We talked about doing cloth before Luke was born.  Mostly because it saves money.  Paul’s mom sent us a large supply of cloth diapers in the mail.  She is such a thoughtful Grandma! I really love my mother-in-law.  She is a special blessing to me.

Some people asked me to let them know how it’s going, so here goes.  It’s going well.  I was pretty nervous to get started, though.  I had a few packs of disposables left until this past Saturday, so we used them up.  I kept looking at them thinking, I’m going to miss you!  I thought it would be a lot harder than it is.  It’s really the same, except instead of throwing the diaper away I do an extra load of laundry here and there.  I’ve even been traveling with them.  I figured that would be a nightmare, too.  But it’s actually the same as well!  I always had to put the disposable in a plastic bag in my diaper bag at other people’s houses and it’s the same with the cloth.  Again, except when I get home it goes in the pail and not the garbage.  It’s been wierdly satisfying using the cloth.  I feel accomplished. 

Neither Paul or I had ever put on a cloth diaper before so it was pretty hilarious teaming up to get it done.  I love how we figure stuff out together.  Paul’s changing the diapers no problem, too.

Only other differences are I change him more often, because the cloth is less absorbent than a disposable.  That, because disposables have chemicals that gel the pee.  But whatever, I’m doing the laundry anyway.  And yes, there is the occasional toilet washing when there’s a poopy.  We like Thirsties covers, and we use a soaker at night.  Super absorbent.

And of course, I do have a tiny stash of disposables left in case I really just need to

I was thinking about this last week.  Do they contradict?  As I’ve fallen more in love with my wife, there are more things I shouldn’t do, can’t do, and won’t do.  That’s the “ball and chain” I heard about.  There are more so-called “limitations” on my life because of my desire to love and serve my wife.  But ultimately… they free me up to pursue the joy of my wife!   Your own relationship health may depend on when you recognize this.

The definition of freedom is to be without restraint, to be able to choose without limits or obligations, to be beyond external control or interference.

One big myth is: if we have MORE choices, MORE options available, we’d be more free.  Well that’s just not the case!  Pick up the book “Paradox of Choice” and read about how more choices actually reduce people’s ability to make the best decision.  This is because the amount of choices requires more time/energy/effort to assess those choices and find the best one.  That’s a big limitation!  This is evident in the feeling I get every time we’re in the cereal aisle… it does not feel freeing to have 10 million choices, especially when they start doing the “3 for $8.56″ and I have to sit there and do the math. 

In our world we will always have limitations.  We have finite time, finite energy, and finite existence.  Being the most free means finding the best limitations for us so that we can invest our time, energy, and lives into what we really want.  That’s why we feel so relieved when we finally make a big choice (like buying a house or a car or picking between jobs).

Being married has been a wonderfully freeing thing.  One major choice is always made: who I should pour my life into.  That aligns all my priorities and choices!  A big limitation follows that: do not pursue or lust after other women.  Phew, I’m glad I don’t have to do that!  Then I have all her preferences of what she likes, what makes her happy, and what upsets her.  Those guide or limit what I do, but much to my benefit and the benefit of our relationship!  By giving up myself to serve and love her, I am more free and happy.

If you are not in a relationship, remember that you will be.  93% of people get married.  Those are good odds.  Now the big choice is, are you going to maximize your joy and freedom in that relationship now?  Your choices now WILL affect your future relationship.

Porn is a big example.  Looking at porn limits your freedom of completely enjoying your wife.  Porn teaches you incorrect ways to look at people and totally teaches the wrong way to have sex. Porn drags you away to other standards of beauty that are not your spouse, hindering your ability to appreciate your spouse and be satisfied with your sex life.  I’m not saying this theoretically, I know from experience.  The same goes for having sex with someone who is not your spouse.

So if you are not married, devote yourself to the desires and needs of your future spouse.  If you are married, remind yourself that by serving your spouse you actually become more free to pursue joy through your relationship.   If you do not know God, maybe you should see why Jesus says his “yoke is light” and how a loving, serving relationship with him actually is more freeing that living bound by sin.  “Who the Lord sets free is free indeed!”

Smiling at Mom

This sweet pumpkin is smiling!  He has been for awhile, we could just never get a good shot.  He is SO fun.  He had his 2 month check up today.  He’s in the 90th percentile for height and weight, but only in like the 40th for his head!  He is 24 1/4 inches long and weighs 12 lbs. 12 oz.  Dr. Mackey was impressed with his strong leg and neck muscles. 

So, my big question is: VACCINES.  Ah!  It’s really hard to make decisions for this little guy sometimes.  We just want to do the best thing for him.  As you might know, lots of people are angry about vaccines these days, and many parents are opting not to vaccinate their children.  Or, at least they are avoiding some vaccines and spacing out suggested shots.  We’ve done some research, but honestly, it’s not currently clear as to whether or not vaccines are a good idea or not.  Do the risks of the disease outweigh the risks of the shots?  I don’t know.  If you do know something about this, let me know.

Here is a video of Tim Keller speaking to a crowd at Google.  Great analysis of the reasoning behind why someone would believe in God.  If you do not understand why someone would believe in God, or are someone who does believe but has trouble articulating, this is for you.  His book “Reason for God” is great.