Little Man got a Big Boy Bed

in ,

Last night Lincoln looked at us and said "Night night" and went to the back of the house towards the bedrooms. Heidi went to find him, and he had crawled into our bed and pulled back the sheets to go to sleep. We decided it was time for him to have a big boy bed.

Today, he picked out his new comforter, and we set everything up in his room. Here's Lincoln in his new big boy bed.

Redeeming Halloween

in , ,

Every year at this time, I marvel at the irony in the annual “Christians v. Secularists” battle about naming and usage of holidays. The big two, of course, are Halloween and Christmas. Leave it to Evangelical Christianity to reject Halloween – an historically Christian holiday – and embrace Christmas, a pagan holiday co-opted by early Christian leaders. I just want to make a few comments in this regard.

First, Halloween. The name “Halloween” is derived from the phrase “All Hallows Eve”, which precedes November 1, All Hallows Day (or All Saints Day). This name dates back to the 16th century; All Hallows Eve can be found in records dating in 1556. Historically, on this day, the Church would have a feast to remember initially the martyrs, but the celebration was expanded to include the celebration of all the saints who had died. This celebration dates back to 609 B.C. and Pope Boniface IV.

The practice of Trick-or-Treating dates back to the Middle Ages, known as “guising,” where the poor would travel from home to home, asking for food in exchange for prayers for the dead. The threat of “trick-or-treat” calls back to Celtic tradition, where people would leave out treats to placate evil spirits. If a home didn’t provide a treat, it ran the risk of suffering the wrath of those spirits. Trick-or-treating first appeared in the U.S. in 1911, but rose to prominence in the 1950s.

I never heard this about Halloween until I was an adult. Even in my mid-twenties, I heard stories about the occult and witchcraft and the evils of Halloween. The church I was then attending held an annual “Harvest Party” (a pagan celebration indeed!) as an “alternative” to Halloween.

It’s a shame that this holiday – which I believe we should observe (in the traditional sense) – has been hijacked by us. There’s nothing evil about Halloween, and there’s nothing wrong with dressing up and celebrating the day. I’m a new father, and this year my six-month-old will be going Trick-or-Treating. I’m looking forward to the treats he receives. As he gets older, I intend to spend time with him teaching about the significance of the day, but encouraging him to enjoy the fun.

Patriotism in the 21st Century

in ,

I read this in a manuscript I'm working on. A Korean War Vet who had no interest in fighting, but went because his country asked him to, said of patriotism in modern American culture:

I fear that people are getting so caught up in ... personal freedom to do anything they want at any time, that the love for their fellow man and their country has fallen by the wayside.

Well said, sir. God bless you, and thank you for serving.

Nobody Likes a Waiting Period

in

People want to watch their favorite shows, and DVR isn't always the best option. TV networks need to pay attention to the fact that fans WANT their content, and find a way to make sure that it's available. Making it more difficult won't stymie the fans, but it will cost the networks money.

When Fox erected its paywall, downloads of both Hells Kitchen and MasterChef surged on BitTorrent, according to TorrentFreak, a blog that monitors file sharing online. "During the first 5 days [of the paywall], the number of downloads from the U.S. for the latest episode of Hells Kitchen increased by 114% compared to the previous 3 episodes. For MasterChef the upturn was even higher with 189% more downloads from the U.S."

via With Fox Off Hulu, Would-Be Viewers Turn to Illegal Downloads - Nicholas Jackson - Technology - The Atlantic.

The "Better Safe than Sorry" Fallacy

in

Recently, when having conversations with some of my more traditional, conservative friends about Christian liberty, they'll cede my point, but reply with "Yeah, but I just want to be on the safe side." This "Better Safe than Sorry" mentality is broken, because it starts with a failed presumption. This mentality assumes that Christian liberty is the fine line between holiness and carnality, and that one can be "more" holy by avoiding exercising Christian liberty. This is called asceticism. Paul speaks on this in his letter to the Colossians (Col 2:16-23):

16 So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. 17 For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality. 18 Don’t let anyone condemn you by insisting on pious self-denial or the worship of angels, saying they have had visions about these things. Their sinful minds have made them proud, 19 and they are not connected to Christ, the head of the body. For he holds the whole body together with its joints and ligaments, and it grows as God nourishes it.

20 You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world, such as, 21 “Don’t handle! Don’t taste! Don’t touch!”? 22 Such rules are mere human teachings about things that deteriorate as we use them. 23These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires.

In Corinthians, Paul says that people who are unable to exercise liberty are weaker Christians, not stronger Christians. Christian asceticism is a weak form of Christianity!

We're not made holy by what we do or what we don't do. Yes, there are things that are black and white sins. But, as a mentor friend of mine says, we should whisper where Scripture whispers and shout where Scripture shouts. If the Bible doesn't clearly define something as a sin, don't add to the Bible because you're uncomfortable with it. Just as someone can go too far with liberty and abuse it, so can someone go too far the other direction and become legalistic. Both are sins.

Jesus said, "My yoke is easy and my burden is light." If you add to the burden because of a "Better Safe than Sorry" mentality, and it causes someone to stumble under that unnecessary burden, you're as responsible for their lost soul as you would be if you told them that praying to a bowl of Fruit Loops would result in the forgiveness of sins.

Do you want to be safe, not sorry? Then be Biblical. Don't add to Scripture, and don't steal away from it. Don't prooftext to find some straw to support your conclusion; look to the whole body of Scripture and find the whole message. If you don't align with Scripture, change yourself, not what you see in Scripture.

Words for me today

in ,

2 Cor 5:16-21

From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 

It's not anything I did.

I'm Not a Christian, But I'm Coming to Your Church This Sunday

in ,

Everyone should read this blog:

Okay I’m not a Christian, but I’ve finally made the decision to come to your church this Sunday. Don’t expect much from me though. If something comes up I might not, but right now I’m planning on it. I feel like I need to go, but I’m not sure why. I want to tell you a few things about myself before you meet me.

via I'm Not a Christian, But I'm Coming to Your Church This Sunday | The Resurgence.

Celebrating the Death of Bin Laden

in ,

Some thoughts on 'celebrating' bin Laden's death. Don't get me wrong - I'm not mourning the guy. But this passage echoes my own sentiments:

When I saw that folks were celebrating in the streets at the news of bin Laden’s death, my first reaction was a cringe. Remember how we all felt watching videos of those al-Qaeda guys dancing on Sept. 11?

Are we simply creating star-spangled recruitment tapes for a new generation of terrorists killing in the name of their new martyr?

Complications after a night of jubilation - The Washington Post.

Hard Keynesianism

in

Paul Krugman:

So if you’re a serious Keynesian, you’re for maintaining and even increasing spending when the economy is depressed, even though revenue has plunged; but you’re for fiscal restraint when the economy is booming, even though revenue has increased.

Hard Keynesianism - NYTimes.com.

More and more, I'm embracing Keynesian economic theories. They seem to be the most rational. (NOTE: Mitch Daniels' insistence on maintaining a surplus and not resorting to tax refunds for political gain is evidence of his real maturity and nuance in economic matters.)

Don't Say 'The Bible Says So'

in ,

Great post about engagement and evangelism in the 21st Century:

G. K. Chesterton, the famous British writer, was once invited to a meeting of the leading intellectuals in England. They were asked if they were shipwrecked on an island, what would be the one book they would want to have with them. Everyone expected Chesterton, a prominent Christian, to say “the Bible.”

When it came his turn to speak, however, Chesterton said that if he were shipwrecked on a desert island, he’d like to have “Thomas’s Guide to Practical Shipbuilding.”

via Don't Say 'The Bible Says So', Christian News, The Christian Post.

Terrific Resources about Human Trafficking

in , , ,

This is a subject I've wanted to get more into, because the idea of it crushes my heart. Sex trafficking isn't something that happens in Thailand or some other third-world country - it happens here, in the United States, all the time. And there's not nearly enough being done about it. Terrific article in the New York Times this past week by Nicholas Kristoff. In his companion blog, he offers a suggestion to resolving this epidemic:

The approach that seems to be gathering steam is the Swedish model, in which johns are prosecuted but the women/girls themselves are treated as victims and are given social services but are not prosecuted. The advantage of this is that it cracks down on demand, which in turn reduces the incentive for trafficking girls in Sweden. A growing number of countries are moving to adopt that approach, and police officials in New York City are studying it as well.

Another great story by NPR about prostitution in the United States (warning - this is a straightforward report. Not for the uber-sensitive).

The Faith Experience

in , ,

When I see people who face real life tragedy full of faith, sure in Christ, I think, "Wow. What must they have been through in their lives to be that way." I think I understand. I don't want to have to have faith. It hurts to learn.

When God allows us to go through trials, it's not so that God can see how much we can handle. The same Bible that says that God allows us to be tried says that God will not test us with more than we are able to handle - and whatever He has allowed to come your way, He already has the resolution worked out.

Do you understand? God knows what you're made of - He knows how much you can handle.

So the purpose of the trial isn't for you to show God what you can handle - it's for God to show YOU what you can handle.

That's not an original thought, but it was new to me.

So while Heidi and I are home, and Lincoln is in the hospital, God is showing us our strength to teach us what to do when we're weak.

I like to do things myself. I like to deal with problems. I don't like avoiding people. I don't like beating around the bush. I don't like when there's an elephant in the room. I don't have patience for that sort of thing. When there's a problem, I like to handle it. If something's broken, I want to fix it.

I can't fix Lincoln. He has to beat the infection himself.

I can't repair Lincoln's lungs - he has to learn to breath on his own.

I can't tweak his internal thermometer - he has to gain weight to be able to keep himself warm.

I can't fix his low calcium or his high bilirubin levels - I have to let his body mature and grow through it.

I'm powerless. I stand by my son's bed, hoping for good news, but I can't do it. He's starting an antibiotic treatment for the next seven days. I can't talk it up. I can't turn the tide through force of personality of power of my will. I can't. I stand by, weak.

Faith, I suppose, is when submission meets powerlessness. I can't do anything, but I know someone who can. I've seen God work in the lives of others - my brother nearly died as a newborn/infant. But he's great now. In the past 3 days, I've heard countless stories from families who have endured similar situations and found God to be faithful, bringing their kids through and seeing them grow up. I've been encouraged by their testimony and moved by their love for Heidi and Lincoln and me. So faith, at this moment, is me saying, "God, I can't. I just can't. I'm too weak. I'm too tired. I simply don't have a way. But I know You can. I know You're able, because I hear testimony of what You've done in the past. Please, God, heal my son. Give him strength. Make him strong. Give Heidi and I peace during this difficult time. Help us to grow in You during this trial. Help us learn to trust You more."

Please, keep us in your prayers. Pray for Lincoln, because we want him to be healthy. Pray for Heidi, because she needs to continue to heal. Pray for all of us, because we need peace.

As I Look At Those Eyes...

in ,

lincoln, daniel, brad, titus, blog, heidi, titus, boruff, baby, newborn, kids, children, parenting, fatherhood, premie, premature, premee, wishard, memorial, hospital, nicu, intensive care, ICU ...I see trust, because he's never been betrayed.

...I see hope, because he doesn't know how to quit.

...I see faith, because he doesn't know how to doubt.

...I see peace, because he doesn't know strife.

...I see perfection, because he doesn't know sin.