"I for my part would prefer to be deceived in a good many things rather than to fight for the truth in so great a universal tumult" - Desiderius Erasmus, one of the greatest biblical scholars of the 16th century, commenting on the work of Martin Luther.
Our Father's Day
We had a nice Father's Day at our house yesterday. We started off the festivities with a game of Wiffle Ball (me against the three oldest) and then capture the flag (we made up our own every-man-for-himself version). Then we sat on the front porch and enjoyed a glass of iced tea. Then we fired up my new grill (Father's Day present) for some burgers. Caleb helped me flip them. You can see Samantha in the background - her first cookout!
As the grill was heating up, it reminded us of sitting around a campfire, so we decided to build a fire and roast marshmallows. Well, that got us to thinking about camping and so we decided to go ahead and set up the tent and sleep outside! We all had a great time together! I am so thankful for my children; they are blessing from God.
Josiah is posing that he is in the middle of a bite.
You can see the chickens in the background. They are growing fast! We should have some eggs by October.
Pictures of Samantha's First Day
Here are some pictures of Samantha's first day.
OK, now I saved the most hilarious picture for last. This was an unbelievable fluke shot--she's not really smiling yet, of course. We have got a lot of laughs out of it. Maybe Samantha forgot, just for a millimoment, that she was supposed to act like a baby and blew her cover. Apparently, she knows something we don't.
Samantha Rubie is Born!
We are grateful to the Lord for answering many prayer in the safe birth of Samantha. She was born at one this morning, June 16; she was 8lb 14oz and 20'' long. The main part of labor went beautifully (Dana is amazing!). But when it came to the end, Samantha's head was turned sideways and it took longer than usual. Finally, we were told that if she didn't come out soon, she would have to have a c-section. Dana basically had two more pushes to try. And she did it! (with help from the Dr. turning her head and pulling her out). Thank you Carrington, Dr. Womack, and all the nurses! It was a stressful exit, the cord was around her neck, and she swallowed some fluid, so she had trouble breathing at first. Her first couple of hours were in the nursery. But she recovered quickly, returned to us, and nursed like she knew what she was doing!
We named her Samantha Rubie because Dana's Granddaddy's name was Sam and both of our Grandmothers' names were Rubie (or Ruby).
Learning to Have a Love Agenda
God has recently been showing me deeper ways I can learn to love and encourage others. I want to be more patient, kind, encouraging, affectionate, and gentle—especially with my family. I have been asking the Lord for wisdom to understand why I am finding this so difficult. I think I have identified one important part of it. One problem is my agenda. When I have an agenda and people get in the way of it, I am frustrated. When I have an agenda, I simply do not see or have the energy to love people. And I am talking about a task oriented agenda. If my agenda were loving people, that would be produce a difference result altogether. For example, when the children do not do a job correctly, my agenda determines my response. If my agenda is the task itself, then I am frustrated and ungentle. But if my agenda is to relate to, love, build up, and train my children, then I will gently instruct and encourage them.
It seems that I am a fundamentally task oriented person. The physical and practical task, whatever it may be at the moment, must be secondary. People are always first. Love is always first. “Whatever you do, let it be done in love” (1 Cor 16:14).
Thirteen Years with Dana
Happy Anniversary to Dana and me! I am so grateful to have a faithful, capable, beautiful, motherly, homemaking, hospitable, organized, loving, ministry-partnering, good-cooking wife.
Sherlock Holmes, Spock, and Philosophy
I recently watched one of the old Sherlock Holmes movies starring Jeremy Brett. In it, he made this statement:
"If you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."- Sherlock Holmes
About a week later I watched the new Star Trek movie. It was a very cool moment when, in a moment of mystery and confusion, Spock (the logical Vulcan) said, "If you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."
I can't help but wondering if this argument might be of some use in philosophical discussions about God and reality. To be sure, we are constantly blinded by our preconceived ideas and prejudices about what we want reality to be. It is therefore easy for us to rule out what seems improbable to us because it is not what we hope for. I am therefore using the term 'improbable' to refer to what seems so to finite human perception.
I would argue that it is not possible to establish with reason and evidence that the existence of God is impossible. If it is true that questions about God are difficult to establish with absolute certainty due to his invisible nature and our limited knowledge, I believe that one can make a powerful and irrefutable argument that God is the most probable explanation of this world. I believe that if we exercised pure reason and observable evidence, we would find that Jesus Christ is indeed "the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14;6).
When to Pursue Marriage
"So how do we know when to pursue someone for marriage? When we do not need marriage. When we are full and growing in our relationship with Christ, then and only then, are we really ready for marriage. Adam did not tell God he was lonely. In Gen 2:18 God said, 'It is not good for man to be alone, I will make him a suitable helper.' Elizabeth Elliott was asked how she found three husbands. Her response was 'I did not find any husband because I was not looking for a husband.' God will determine our need and readiness and will lead us to marriage when the time is right." - R.D. Hodges, The Greatest Adventure I Never Dreamed Of (forthcoming)