One last thing!

I almost forgot.

HAPPY REFORMATION DAY!

Congratulations Josh & Kristi!

Well, I waited a whole day to give Steve a chance to post this. You snooze, you lose!

This morning I received the news!!!

I saw the pictures from the Whitakers of their new baby girl, Lydia Grace, born Oct. 27. She was 19½ inches long and weighed 8 pounds and 5 ounces.

Lydia and Kristi both looked beautiful and blessed. The grandparents all looked happy.


And Josh looked like this:

Another venture into a very touchy subject!

In today's blog, Dr. Mohler does what he does best. He has demonstrated how to understand another aspect of our culture from a Christian worldview. I am constantly amazed at the breadth and scope of his reading. Where does he find the time and the resources?

Today he comments on, what to me is, an obscure article in a British magazine (I am probably revealing more about my ignorance and less about his intellegence here but my goodness... how does he find this stuff?) entitled Breeding For God by Eric Kauffmann.

As I read it I was reminded of the statistics that Voddie Baucham shared in his sermon (linked to here or here), especially the stats concerning the spread of Islam in Europe. Both Kauffmann and Baucham make that point that Europeans are being out bred by the Muslims. This, for me, is an amazing thing. Also notice the "fertility gap of 41%" between the religious and the secular.

It is small wonder that he descibes it as "value differences." Why wouldn't Christians, of all people, not want to have as many children as God, Himself, would give them (Psalm 127-128 to begin with)? Isn't that what He is saying in Malachi 2:14-15?

But you say, "Why does he not?" Because the LORD was witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. Did he not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union? And what was the one God seeking? Godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and let none of you be faithless to the wife of your youth.

Can't we see the connection between God's hatred of divorce and his desire for godly generations? Aren't we, as Christians, to make evangelism from with-in one of our primary goals? How come we aren't as concerned about these numbers as we are about other numbers?

Notice how Dr. Mohler closes his blog "...it is important to recognize that worldview commitments -- not economic factors -- eventually determine birth rates. Decisions about marriage and children reveal worldview presuppositions. Most centrally, these presuppositions deal with the meaning of life, the purpose of sex, the nature of the family, the blessing of children, and the promise of the future. Those who see marriage and raising children as God-ordained functions of human existence will, not surprisingly, have more children than those who do not. By and large, the believers are the breeders." (emphasis mine)

Thank you Dr. Mohler.

A Great Day

Today is a great day, and if you follow this link you'll see why. The entire works of some guy names Jonathan Edwards or something is now available online! So what are you doing just sitting at your computer lally gaggin'? I've been trying to fill your life with meaningful goodness. Go take advantage of some of it!

Slap this In Your MP3 and Get to Work!

Recently I was pointed to Covenant Theological Seminary where they give away free Seminary courses. I went there, and I admit that I was a little skeptical, but now I'm a believer. I'd recommend anyone to go and download Jerram Barrs classes on Francis Schaeffer, as well as his lectures on Postmodernism (found in the apologetics class). There are about twenty classes total. So go, download them and start listening to them in the car, in the shower, or wherever you listen (or could possibly listen) to audio. For those who are still stuck in ancient times, you can download them and burn them to CDs. But for those who are living in today's world, the lectures are available for podcasting. So put them on your MP3 player of choice, and get to it! Go now!

Don't mess with Mohler

I've said it before...


I'll say it again.

Don't EVER mess with Dr. Mohler!

Insensitivity and the Curse

[Names have been changed to protect the innocent]

Listening to Dr. Baucham's [his name really is Voddie Baucham!] sermon has really been beneficial to me. One of the things that impressed me was his sensitivity to families with a lot of children. Time and again he challenges the Texas Baptist Convention [name hasn't been changed, I am just not certain what it is exactly] to recognize the value and blessing of children.

As I wrote before, I am so sensitive to things that regard the having, or not being able to have, children. When Amy and I found out we were pregnant with Geneva [name is not changed, she is number 3] there were certain individuals at our church [who aren't going to be named] around us who were less than pleased.

Amy and I were so excited! We couldn't believe it! We didn't have any idea how many children we were going to have! We were naively carefree. We weren't trying to have a whole passel of kids. We were just happy that God was giving us another!

You see, Amy had the idea that she might never even be able to have children so these beautiful blessings were just amazing to her. Me, I am too dumb to even think about it... I just love children.

Well, during this period of time we had made a major move, started a new job [working for my father - talk about stress! Can I get an amen Jason?], lived in a trailer, and (I) was a part time youth minister. It all came to a head one evening when I was out of town at a Promise Keepers conference. Amy called the hotel and was just broken-hearted. It seems that some of our friends had not been very encouraging toward her. Expecting joy at the announcement, apparently we weren't being very smart and Amy was hurt.

As I wrote in an earlier post Amy is a passionate mother. Just as the lady, in the earlier article, was describing her passion to have children, waiting, longing, hungering for a child to nurse, crying out for new life, to just feel movement in the womb.... Amy felt all of those things. Even now, 9 children later, she is terribly frightened that she might never feel those things again.

There I was, in the hotel room, hundreds of miles away and I couldn't give her what she needed. I could only calm her and tell her I loved her. It was hard. I hung up and turned to Jeff [name changed] and asked him to pray for us if he would. I explained the situation and he started to cry [good thing I changed his name or he might be embarrassed]. Jeff and his wonderful wife Wendy [name changed] were so precious to us. This couple 'borrowed' our children all the time. I didn't know much about their early years together but I imagined that they were perfect grandparents.

Jeff sat me down and began to tell me their story. It was short but it has changed my perspective enormously. You see Jeff and Wendy were not able to have any children. This couple that demonstrated all of the attributes of parenthood was not able to have their own. Jeff looked at me and I will never forget his words. He said:

"Steve, listen to me. Wendy and I would sell everything that we own or have ever owned to just have one child to call our own. There is nothing on this earth that I wouldn't trade for that. Steve, I know that there are those who think that you're not ready. I know that they will tell you to use common sense but hear me out. From where I sit, you are right where you need to be. Children are more valuable that anything else in God's creation. Take all that God offers you because there is no guarantee."

I have meditated long on that counsel. When someone condemns us for having so many, I rest on them and on God's Word: Psalm 127 and 128 to begin with.

I have enjoyed watching as God has surrounded us, time and again, with couples who cannot have any children. Every Mother's Day I recognize those ladies in my church who have been mothers to Amy and my children - the fathers also.

I cannot imagine not having children. I wouldn't know where to begin. I am certain that those couples [Jeff and Wendy... etc] believe that children are a blessing from God in a way that someone who picks and chooses the time for themselves cannot understand.

I have no hesitancy in affirming that I am passionate about children. I do feel that I have been blessed. There is nothing special about me, I have no idea why He has blessed us with 9 [so far] but even we are described as 'cursed' to have so many. In both cases it seems that the 'curse' concerns the children.

Who could think that? Certainly not those who CANNOT have any.

I realize that in our limited view of God's plan, the infertile and the 'over'-fertile seem to be poles apart. Certainly I am not placing myself in their shoes. I have a very limited view of their intensely painful struggle but I am in total agreement with them that it is the children who are the blessing and pray for the Lord to have mercy upon these couples as they follow His will.

Update on "Cursed with Fertility"

Earlier last week I posted on having so many children. Kevin, John, and I have posted previously on the dangers of youth ministry (I don't have time to link to them here - look through our archives). Today I listened to a sermon by Voddie Baucham that says it ALL! He pulls no punches!

Imagine what you would say to the Baptist State Convention annual meeting in TEXAS! Here's a taste:

"If you have a group of people in your church who don't tithe, you don't start a ministry to tithe for them do you?" - 28 minutes into the sermon!

Listen also to how he connects this with the alcohol issue and church leadership!

Go to this website and scroll down to the August 17th, 2006 sermon by Voddie and listen away!

(HT: Bill Goodpaster)

Anyone interested in Family-Friendly Books?

My wife, Amy, has discovered a great contest in which the prize is $700 of free books from www.visionforum.org !!!

Now you all know that nothing speaks to my heart like the words "free books" and now is our chance!

Visit www.inashoe.blogspot.com for more details and if you win I get 25%!

Deal?

I Never Knew This About Wiley Drake

Ben Cole has written a wonderfully informative piece on the SBC's 2nd Vice President. All I have ever known of Wiley Drake is most of what Ben writes here at the beginning of this article. Read on to the end and you will see him from a totally different side!

[Ronnie; is this an example of 'being' a witness?]

My Bad

Sorry Kevin and Steve for dragging you into my diversion. Over last weekend I was working on a paper, and I guess I ended up having too much mental activity going on. I got involved in the discussion on the Founders blog which turned out sour, and wasted all that time and energy when I could have been posting here. I was tired and was just using it as a way to take my mind off the paper every once in a while.

So here's my new blogger profile pic:

Good Grief - Bad but Brief!

(For a much better view go to aomin.org)

I remember asking Dr. White to withdraw from the debate (and enjoying quite a bit of traffic when he quoted me on his blog!) because he was beginning to look like the 'other side'. I am just exhausted from all of the pathetic rigmarole that is being written about this.

Now I just want to appeal to everyone: Let's let the individual parties each give their closing statements and then move on!

For my part I received Calvin's Institutes (the Mcniell-Battles edition - up to now I have been using the older Beveridge version) in the mail today and will be posting from them for the rest of my life (probably!). In that spirit, here is an interesting quote from Mcniell's Introduction:

"Perhaps no other theological work has so consistently retained for four centuries a place on the reading list of studious Christians. In a wider circle, its title has been familiar, and vague ideas of its content have been in circulation. It has, from time to time, called forth an extensive literature of controversy. It has been assailed as presenting a harsh, austere, intolerent Christianity and so perverting the Gospel of Christ, and it has been admired and defended as an incomparible exposition of Scriptural truth and a bulwark of evangelical faith."

Have you read this book? I quoted parts of it here.

Before you critique it: borrow one of my copies and read it. You will certainly benefit from much of what you read!

Cowardly Debaters: or how to win a discussion simply by bludgeoning your opponents with immaturity

I would like to introduce you to someone I met this week. Actually, I can't say that I know him. I don't know his name, since he hides behind blogger's anonymity, and he doesn't have a blog of his own. But if you follow all the way down to the end of this post at the Founders Blog, you will find our interaction. His posting name is "BookBorn," and as you can see, it's difficult to tell whether he just misunderstands what I believe, or whether he is so full of malice in his heart that he willfully ignores the content of my posts in order to mock me. Here is the picture he has created as his default profile pic:




He created this after I stated:

All you have demonstrated to me is that you care nothing for my soul, but only to mock the beliefs of others and exalt your own beliefs. I find this behavior incompatible for anyone in your position, and I request that you refrain from referring to me in any of your future posts.

He responded by creating the picture, and saying:

Somebody out here (won't point any fingers) sounds a lot like James White's dividing line. In essence, "You guys have hurt my feelings and didn't show me the respect of which I am worthy, so don't ever talk to me again." I guess that makes us pre-embryos or fetuses in contrast. Maybe someday we'll grow up into the doctrines of Grace and be babies/toddlers. "I'm not gonna share my Lincoln Logs with you. I'm gonna close my eyes and you'll go away. I'll put my Binkie in my mouth and ignore you...Yea, let God be true, and every man a liar. Arminius backwards, since John won't come out and play & allow me to partake in his Little Tykes Waffle Blocks, what sayest thou? ...if you can't address me with dignity and honor, then I'm telling my Mommy."

This is a father of six, a man who holds a teaching ministry position, and claims to regularly preaching sermons.


If you remember my post on Theological Integrity, I stated that integrity, maturity, and honesty are crucial as we work to be unified as we discuss doctrine. "BookBorn" lacks all three of those characteristics in how he has treated me. Please look over the conversation, and tell me what you think.

Life Is Always Interesting!

On my way home for lunch this afternoon I spied another Crotalus Horridus crossing the road. I am sure that, with the weather changing, he/she was preparing to enter the cliffs and caves that form the rear property line of our home.

This beauty was just under 100 yards up the road from our house!

Another wonderful day in PARADISE!!!

The Weekend Review

Well, I had another wonderful weekend, filled with all sorts of fun, fellowship and good food. It is the start of my Fall Break, and so I did absolutely nothing constructive all weekend. And I liked it. Unfortunately, my week will be filled with trying to catch up with all the school work I should be doing. Oh well, it can't all be fun and games, right? Right?!? Okay...Here's a few things I picked up over the past two days.


The Good:
Check out the local Farmer's Market nearest you. We did, and we got some absolutely amazing honey. And also, we did our part to support our local farmers. Don't I feel so much greener better.

The Bad:
Well, I tried to find an article talking about it, but I couldn't. The bad is simply this. My friend, Tim, got to go see Nickel Creek play at the Ryman, and it was an awesome show. I could forgive him for that, but then there's the fact that
Bela Fleck! was there too! I'm burning with jealousy. But then again, I didn't have to deal with getting my car towed during the concert either (serves you right Timmy!).

The Ugly:
Okay, click on this. I'm sure her family is very proud because this really is quite an accomplishment...yeah.

What We Have In Common: Being Cursed With Fertility

A couple years ago I was in one of those seminary classes that everyone has to take to get your diploma: "Family Ministry Development" or something like that. There were the seminars on 'singleness,' 'divorce' and 'young-families' that helped raise our sensitivites to the many different 'kinds' of families.

The seminar that really touched me was 'infertility.' The couple that led that one were so humble and open about their struggle with not having children. The wife spoke about how she longed for a baby. She revealed that she used to wait every month to see if she was pregnant. She used to cry and cry when she found out that once again... she wasn't pregnant. She described how she looked at other moms-to-be and prayed that she would someday have what they seemed to take for granted. Needless to say... I was touched by their passion.

I saw her after class, sitting with the professor, at the cafeteria and went over to speak with her for just a moment and here is what I said to her:

"Ma'am, thank you for being so open with us about your terrible struggle. I just wanted to tell you that you sound like my wife as you were speaking about your longing, your waiting, your tears, your desire, and your hurt when you see people taking children for granted. You and her seem to have much the same view of the value, blessing, and treasure that children are."

She smiled and graciously asked how long we had been married and when did we find out that we were infertile. In class she had spoken about how we never know if/when the Lord will choose to grant children to families and now she wanted to encourage me that we were still young enough that maybe God would bless us. I told her:

"We do believe that God is The Birth Controller just like you spoke of in class. We also see, in the Old Testament, the numerous times where God is shown as opening and closing the womb, how He is the One who gives them as blessings and reward." I went on to tell her that "I just wanted you to know that I am glad to see someone who feels that same way about children that we do. You see, ma'am, we are cursed, in some eyes, with 'fertility'. You see we have 9 [nine] children."

As I left the table later that afternoon I couldn't help but think about all of the similarities between her and my wife. Neither of them chose to have as many children as they could. The thought that they could choose not to have these blessings didn't cross their minds. The thought of a choice wasn't even considered. They both longed for children and longed for children to be loved and cherished as the beautiful treasures that they are. They really are very similar in almost every way possible except the most obvious.

Before I left we commented on the difference between those who are cursed with infertility/fertility (having too many children for society) and those who never even consider the blessings that they miss by believing they have an option. It is something to think about.

Same Horror... Different Disguise!

Dr. Mohler's blog this morning has terrible application. In it Dr. Mohler wonders why this wasn't reported in the US news. I am alarmed that our country is so engrossed in the latest Hollywood scandal or Bush bashing extravaganza that we would fail to see the direct correlation between the Nazi-killing machine and the modern-selective-abortive-killing machine.