As we close the curtain on 2006 and look into the future that is 2007, may your days be long and prosperous. What will you be doing to make this new one a banner year? What stands out as the cream of the past year's crop? What "old" things will you be leaving behind? What "new" ones do you hope to take their place?

I declare that 2007 - by virtue of the fact that it is "007" - is The Year of Bond. Therefore, vote for your favorite Bond.


Sean Connery

Roger Moore

George Lazenby

Timothy Dalton



Pierce Brosnan

Daniel Craig

I listen to a great Christian radio station that broadcasts in our area. The music they play is worshipful and helps me stay focused on the Kingdom when otherwise I wouldn't. Starting the day after Thanksgiving, they played Christmas music 24/7. Now that Christmas has come and gone for 2006, it's cold-turkey. Not one drop of Christmas music. Granted I could pop in a Christmas cd of my own, but then I'd miss out on the occasional news updates and the playful banter between the deejays. My question (am I griping again?) is why can't we taper the holiday tunes out over a week or two?

Do you miss the Christmas radio? or is it just me?

The old parody of the hymn went, "I am dissolved no longer to linger . . ." The hymn itself was pretty good:

I am resolved no longer to linger
Charmed by the world's delights.
Things that are higher, things that are nobler,
These have allured my sight.

I will hasten, hasten to Him
Hasten so glad and free.
Jesus, greatest, highest
I will come to Thee.

Are we resolved? With the new year looming over us, many people will be resolving. Will you? What will your resolution be? Will you resolve something trivial, something demanding, or something lasting? If I get the chance to make some, I'll be posting my New Year's Resolutions in a day or two.

We have always put candy in the kids' stockings for Christmas. This year we had gotten a bag each of "chocolate money" to put in their stockings. Toward the end of their quiet time in their rooms after lunch, the son came out and said, "I got no money." I looked and he had chocolate dripping down his chin. He had eaten every bit of chocolate. When we went to his room to check things out, beside his bed was a circle of foil wrapping.

Merry Christmas everyone.

For those who don't know, my five-year-old is an artist. She is also picking up on her daddy's love for the season. Below you will find her free-hand interpretation of Santa Claus.

Here are some Christmas quotes that may cheer you: (thanks to Danny Sims)

• Christmas is a time when you get homesick - even when you're home. --Carol Nelson
• There has been only one Christmas - the rest are anniversaries. --W.J. Cameron
• Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree. In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall. --Larry Wilde
• I stopped believing in Santa Claus when I was six. Mother took me to see him in a department store and he asked for my autograph. --Shirley Temple
• Mail your packages early so the post office can lose them in time for Christmas. --Johnny Carson
• The worst gift is a fruitcake. There is only one fruitcake in the entire world, and people keep sending it to each other. --Johnny Carson
• The one thing women don't want to find in their stockings on Christmas morning is their husband. --Joan Rivers
• I once bought my kids a set of batteries for Christmas with a note on it saying, toys not included. --Bernard Manning
• Anyone who believes that men are the equal of women has never seen a man trying to wrap a Christmas present. --Anonymous

Cornerstone Community Church is in the Christmas spirit--thanks to you guys.

(click on the link for great Christmas fun)

I’d like to take a brief break from my Christmas tirade (just a short one) to run a few thoughts by my reading public:

Simplicity seems to be a growing phenomenon in our society. People are working hard to un-clutter their lives, their homes, their budgets, their (fill in the blank). Why? Because people want to feel no longer out of control. Take for example the premise behind John Grisham’s book from 2001. Skipping Christmas was about a man who had finally decided to quit making a big deal out of Christmas and for once spend all the money he’d normally spend on the holidays for a holiday trip. The idea—what if we removed the trappings of Christmas and just enjoyed each other? (Oops, there goes that Christmas tirade again!)

Even Google has developed a “simple” mindset with a homepage that is free from extras—those bells and whistles that flash at you from every other homepage/search engine on the ‘Net. Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger cite this trend in their book Simple Church (Broadman & Holnam, 2006). Note the following quote:

“Marissa Mayer oversees the Google home page. She is responsible to keep it simple. She says that ‘once you have a home page like our competitors, paring it back like Google’s is impossible. You have too many stakeholders who feel they should be promoted on the home page.’”

I’ll let Rainer and Geiger make their own point about simplifying church, instead I was just wondering what kind of application this knowledge might have to some other arenas:

Government—is it really true that they can’t cut back on the pork and the fat? According to Mayer that must be the case, because “once you have [interest groups] like [Congress does], paring back to [the essentials] is impossible. You have too many stakeholders who feel they should be promoted . . .” (I think the principle fits.)

Homes—we begin to have a difficult time saying no to the unnecessary things that clutter our lives and tax our budgets because we’ve always done them, had them, or wanted them.

Perhaps you know some other areas that need to be clutter-free. I’d love for you to share them here.

Along with music and movies, I love to read Christmas stories. I've read everything from Richard Paul Evans' Christmas Box to Dickens' Christmas Carol. They are all inspiring. Some would argue that the two little stoies I've mentioned before are strictly Christmas stories (I'll admit to one, but the other simply has Christmas elements, you decide which). This also made me think of favorite Christmas reading. Do you have any? There are so many good stories out there. Some are religious, some are based on the legends and myths associated with Christmas, but what I've found to be true of all Christmas stories is that they are heartwarming or heartwrenching or both. A good Christmas story will, at some point, pull at your heartstrings and make even the burlyest of men wipe the sweat from their eyes.

Here are some of my all-time favorite stories (aside from the original Christmas story, which of course makes all the others dim in comparison):

• The Autobiography of Santa Claus as told to Jeff Guinn (the author followed this up with an interesting How Mrs. Claus Saved Christmas which was good but not as compelling as the original. This year Guinn delivered The Great Santa Search in time for Christmas, but I haven't gotten my copy yet.)
• A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (always a Christmas staple--one which everyone continues to try to copy.)
• The Christmas Wish by Richard Siddoway (I read this one after seeing the made-for-TV movie starring Neal Patrick Harris. Both are good, but if you have to choose, take the book.)
• The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans (This one has become a classic after simple beginnings as a self-published story for his children.)
• The Christmas Shoes by Donna VanLiere (While she has added several volumes, all based around Christmas, to her bibliography, this is still VanLiere's best story.)
• and finally, "The Gift of the Magi" by O Henry (I love to read this story just for me every year. Set in the depression years, when times were hard. If you haven't read this short story, find a copy--you won't regret it.)

If you'd like to join this discussion with your favorite (aside from the Biblical account of the Nativity) Christmas story, just post a comment. I'd love to know what you're reading.

Jamie Manasco has touched on a thought that bears response. Do you have a "being statement"? While we live in a world that fills people up with vision statements and mission statements and goal statements--all focused on what we do, we have forgotten to be.

At the risk of making you come up with another "Life Statement", I was just wondering, do you have a being statement? If so, would you share it here? If not, try developing one and share it here. (Mine is the first comment, if you're interested.)

I think that there is a reason that C.S. Lewis wrote during the years of World War II. His use of the War to bring spiritual ideas to reality in the minds of his readers is well worth the time to read them. Here’s something to think about from C.S. Lewis and Mere Christianity:

"Why is God landing in this enemy-occupied world in disguise and starting a sort of secret society to undermine the devil? Why is He not landing in force, invading it? Is it that He is not strong enough? Well, Christians think He is going to land in force; we don not know when. But we can guess why he is delaying. He wants to give us the chance of joining His side freely. I don not suppose you and I would have thought much of a Frenchman who waited till the Allies were marching into Germany and then announced he was on our side. God will invade. But I wonder whether people who ask God to interfere openly and directly in our world quite realise what it will be like when He does. When that happens, it is the end of the world. When the author walks on to the stage the play is over. God is going to invade, all right: but what is the good of saying you aer on His side then, when you see the whole natural universe melting away like a dream and something else—something it never entered your head to conceive—comes crashing in; something so beautiful to some of us and so terrible to others that none of us will have any choice left? Fro this time it will be God without disguise; something so overwhelming that it will strike either irresistible love or irresistible horror into every creature. It will be too late when it has become impossible to stand up. That will not be the time for choosing; it sill be the time when we discover which side we really have chosen, whether we realised it before or not. Now, today, this moment, is our chance to choose the right side. God is holding back to give us that chance. It will not last for ever. We must take it or leave it."

There is a fascinating new show on TV that has just finished its first season. The show is called Heroes and is about people who seem ordinary but have extraordinary abilities. In life we need heroes. Not the superhero types that abound in comic books (excuse me, graphic novels), but the real life, everyday, simple people who do things way beyond the normal.

Looking through the Bible we have heroes of our faith--men like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob; prophets such as Jeremiah, Isaiah, and Elijah; and faithful leaders we remember as Paul, Peter, and John.

One of my heroes died this week. W.A. "Bill" Solesbee died on Tuesday, but his legacy is sure. This simple preacher and former missionary was a man whose influence will be felt for years, and throughout the world. Bro. Bill (as he was affectionately known) was one of the first pastors that I had the privelege of serving with. He was a man of faith and little more. He lived what he said, and was concerned for every person he encountered.

I recall being with him as he stopped in to the convenience store for a gallon of milk. He shared his smile and his faith with the attendant without distracting her from her job or allowing her to misuse her boss' time. Once I visited Bill in his home long after our ministries took us in separate directions. He had been "retired" for several years. his ailing wife was at Death's doorstep. He shared with me that he had been concerned that he was no longer of any use to the Kingdom any more. Those who knew Bill will know how wrong he had been. He had even prayed that unless God had more work for him, he could go ahead and die to cease to be a burden to his loved ones. In the next two weeks, the Lord opened Bill's eyes to no fewer than eleven people with whom he had been able to share his faith, with several accepting Christ as their personal savior and others rededicating their lives to God. "I guess," he told me, "that God is still working through me."

I pray that everyone has a mentor like Bill Solesbee. I pray that I may be such an influence on some who walk and work alongside of me.

Do you have heroes? What makes them heroes? For me, Bill Solesbee is a hero because of the extraordinary way he lived his ordinary life.

I’ve been tagged by Danny Sims. He wants to know my favorite Christmas songs. Some of the titles that follow are previously mentioned here. While it’s hard to narrow it down because there are always new ones cropping up—especially when you by new albums every year, the current fave’s (in no particular order) follow. What are your favorites?

“Silver Bells” – I like the cut Bing Crosby did with the help of Carole Richards, the counter-melody on the chorus is especially catchy.

“Carol of the Bells” – Manheim Steamroller has an excellent rendition of this standard made popular several years ago in an Asti Spumante commercial.

“Happy Christmas” – Mentioned previously as “So This Is Christmas” can be found on Rebecca St. James’ Christmas album. This one always lifts my Christmas spirits—it was always a staple when I was completing my teacher duties before Christmas break when I was a teacher.

“This Baby” – I’ve always enjoyed Steven Curtis Chapman, and his first Christmas album has some great cuts. This particular one is a really moving tribute to the One about whom the holiday revolves.

“Mary, Did You Know” – has been recorded by everyone from Kenny Rogers to the Imperials. I lean toward Mark Lowery’s version because he knows where the questions came from.

“A Strange Way to Save the World” – an old standby from 4Him, this song addresses the season from Joseph’s point of view. I tried this myself in the novella Just a Simple Carpenter (Loom & Wheel, 2000). It’s a great exercise in “what if . . .”

“Little Drummer Boy” – Who couldn’t love to sing “pa-rum-pum-pum-pum” at Christmastime? Again many people have recorded this one. I like the versions by 4Him and Jars of Clay.

Now I’m supposed to tag five others, so here goes: Jamie, Hannah, Charley, Tim, and Liz, consider yourselves tagged.

Christmas is rapidly approaching. We have already been subjected to the “day after” sales that had people camping out in retail parking lots for the 5:00 a.m. openings, the beginning of the holiday movie season, and the ringing of the Salvation Army bell. Soon we will be enjoying more and more Christmas lights, Christmas sights, and Christmas sounds as we go about our daily business. Put on a happy face. This is the time that makes our existence as a church unique—the birth of Christ.

I love Christmas movies. I'm looking forward to a number of them to brighten the holidays.

I've already seen my first Christmas movie of the year--the third installment of the Santa Clause saga. This time (following the original "Santa clause" and the "Mrs. clause") we are introduced to the "Escape clause," a means by which Santa (Tim Allen) can make time go back so that he is no longer Santa, opening the way for Jack Frost (Martin Short) to take over as the new Santa Claus. The story combines ideas from the first two movies with Christmas classics like It's a Wonderful Life (what would the world be like if . . .) to draw in the viewer. This is decidedly the best of the three movies, though it requires the back story of the first two to lend it creedence.

I also intend to see The Nativity Story. I undestand that there are already those who are trying to develop controversy around the movie, but I've been impressed with the trailers which seem to indicate that it will be a pretty good handling of the Story itself.

I'm also looking forward to cozying up in front of the television with the family to re-introduce the kids to some of my favorites: It's a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street (Natalie Wood version), White Christmas, and others. What are your favorites? Do you enjoy a good holiday story? I was disappointed the other night in the Hallmark offering Candles on Bay Street because I was expecting Christmas faire, and found only your everyday garden Hallmark tear-jerker. This is not bad in and of itself, but is disappointing when you want to weep to a story centered around either the Christmas story or the emotion of the season.

What is the must-see classic for you? Does it center on the Birth of Christ, the legend of Santa? Is it a tear-jerker, a show-stopper, or a knee-slapper?

I came home from the office this evening to our first disaster for this Christmas. The children had been playing on our enclosed porch and knocked over our small pre-lit tree. I was relieved that it was not the 7' tree in the front room.

With children you expect disasters during the holidays. Just remember--you knocked over the tree once or twice yourself.

Every holiday is filled with family traditions—those things that you do because your family has always done them. Christmas is one of the biggest traditional holidays. It is chock full of traditions that make the holiday become Christmas for people. For some the traditions center on the tree—what kind, how and when gifts are exchanged and opened. Others focus their Christmas traditions on the meal—do we eat turkey (again), or ham, or even goose? Will there be stuffing or dressing and cranberry sauce? There may even be some special dish or desert that makes Christmas happen. Still others base their Christmas traditions on the story—decorations are studded with “Jesus is the reason for the season” and “Don’t take Christ out of Christmas”.

Some people have added a new crèche to their holiday supply, one which has Santa Claus (in all his red glory and fur) bowing in prayer to the Babe in a manger. Others have even included a birthday cake in their celebrations, singing “Happy Birthday” to Jesus and allowing the smallest children to extinguish the candles. What makes Christmas for you and your family?

I recall making the best gifts—and receiving the best gifts (which were handmade). I recall our tradition of asking for only one “big” present each year. I remember when we were introduced to ‘White Christmas Salad’ and ‘Pretzel Salad’ as staples in our holiday feast.

As I became an adult, I remember starting my own heirloom nativity to which I still try to add a new figure to each year. One tradition I cannot seem to kick is Christmas movies—I love movies based in and around Christmas, whether comedy, heartwarming romance, or stories based on the Story of Christmas, I just love them. I try to see new Christmas movies as often as I can, buying at least the better ones when they arrive on DVD or VHS. I love the music of Christmas, I love the books that come out at Christmastime.

One tradition we have added to our family is the homemade cranberry sauce which my wife tried out on me during our second or third holiday season—Christmas ain’t Christmas without it. I also love the Christmas Eve candlelight service at the church.

So what makes Christmas feel like Christmas for you? How do you stand on the issue of Santa Claus? What about trees and decorations? Do you have one special tradition that you wouldn’t be able to enter the new year if it disappeared from your home during the Christmas season? Respond—tell me about it. I’m always up for new traditions.

We are told that the early settlers to America enjoyed a harvest feast that they shared with natives who lived nearby, that everyone contributed some of their own bounty to the occasion, and that the banquet was one which set the standard for our groaning tables filled with rich blessings from our larder.

We are given the impression that even presidents have referenced the Creator when establishing Thanksgiving as a holiday. (See Danny Sims' excellent work on this subject.) While all of America pauses to give thanks on Thursday, the question arises—is it really a religious holiday?

If so, then why do people who are not religious celebrate it?

If not, then why do we acknowledge God as we gather with family?

If religious, why do only the Americans offer thanks (Canadians have set aside a day in October for giving thanks)? Why not all religious people in the world?

What do you think? Is thanksgiving a religious observance? Or is it just a great time to take another long weekend, start Christmas shopping, enjoy a feast fit for royalty, and relax with a parade or game?

As I think about the ninth commandment, I am reminded of this simple instruction given me long ago—maybe by my parents, maybe my grandparents, perhaps even a teacher or Sunday school teacher along the way. It reminds us to always tell the truth, always be polite, and always be uplifting. What else could civil mean? As we go through the next weeks, let us all “keep a civil tongue.”

This week, as you keep a civil tongue in your head, remember to do it especially with your family as you share with them a time of Thanksgiving. Be thankful this week for your family, for your church, for your country, for (you fill in the blank). Then after the holiday is passed and you are looking forward to Christmas, be thankful once again.

Some of the best advice I’ve ever heard was, “Hold your tongue.” Now as a kid I was apt to follow that instruction literally and try to capture my tongue between the thumb and forefinger and follow-up by asking the advisor, “Li’ diff?” But as I grew older, I discovered that it is sometimes better to hold one’s peace for a time rather than speak out immediately. Why? Because we all have a tendency to say more than is necessary at all times.

James addresses it this way: “the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. . . .The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. . . . no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” (3:5-8)

We really need strength to control our speech—keeping us from boasting, lying, gossiping, name-calling, and all sorts of hate-mongering. Some people pride themselves on having a sharp tongue, but find that they are driving away friends. Others feel they are gifted with a golden tongue, but often discover that pyrite has moved in to replace the real thing. Here is another piece of advice that should stand us all in good stead, “Think before you speak.”

The old wag has said, “God gave us two ears and one mouth, we should use them accordingly.” How often do we need to listen, to get all the information, before joining the conversation? When we are told not to “give false testimony against [our] neighbor,” we need to be sure that we are doing several things:
 Always speaking the truth
 Refraining from any malice in anything that we do tell
 Gathering all the facts before opening our own mouths
 Lifting up, not tearing down

We do not have to participate in gossip sessions, nor are we required to listen when falsehoods are being spread about our neighbor. On the contrary, we should make sure that we have all of our facts straight when joining a discussion and challenge others to do the same. How long has it been since you interjected a note of defense for a brother or sister who was being torn down by the crowd? Sometimes the sin of silence is worse than the sin of participation. Are we holding our tongues when we ought? Are we speaking when it is right? And when we speak, are we speaking the good word?

Thanks to Tim Rice for this quiz:

Check out the new blog Psalm 51:10 where my ministry associate takes everyday items and finds ultimate meaning.

When the world tells us that it is normal, natural, and even desirable to engage in promiscuous living, is it any wonder that we live in a society set on its edge with AIDS, venereal disease, unwanted pregnancy and divorce? Our young people—even those in our churches—do not understand that marriage is sacred because of the societal shouting and the church’s silence. Let us no longer be silent. Marriage is one man with one woman for life without looking elsewhere. To keep marriage pure, we must remain faithful to our spouse, both before and after the wedding ceremony. What the Bible says is normal, natural and even desirable leads us to clean living and permanent love. Hold out for the best.

Issues always slap us in the face. Some we say are not worth our time, while others we find well worth all of our energy. What is it in our lives that is worth living for? What is worth standing up even in the midst of ridicule? The answer that Jesus gave was you. He found you worth living for. He desires to give you life—life worth living. He desires to give you meaning to live for. He answers again, “You.” You are worth dying for. If, under any stretch of the imagination, you could accept it, He willingly died for you. Now, what will you do for Him?

I find that He is worth living for. And I find that He is worth dying for.

Since I'm new to blogging, and still learning, perhaps I'm not the best source for talking about change. But here it is. Some of you who have been reading will notice that there have been some minor changes to the look of the blog. I've signed on to the beta version of the Blogger-Google joint effort. It's made my own blogging easier and given me a little more freedom in how the page looks (I'm still a babe in arms when it comes to web technology). Hope you like the new look.

The point here is that change is not necessarily bad. It's not always good, but we ought not be afraid of it. One person has said that the only person who likes change is a wet baby. Have we been guilty of fighting change for some reason? I think that we ought to examine proposed changes--life, home, church--and see if there is merit. Don't disregard change just because it's different from what you know.

How do you feel about change? New things?

I like to read a good murder mystery. I like to watch a good “whodunit” on TV. I like to try to figure out the culprit before the detective does. Trying to follow the clues is fascinating.

Columbo has always been a favorite of mine, too. The formula with this TV show (as well as a few books based on the show) is to show the murder committed and then watch the Police Lieutenant unravel the wheres and why-fors of the case before your eyes.

Even so, I don’t like murder—the blatant, wholesale removal of life for the sake of removing that life. I guess the reason that I like shows like Columbo and books about murder mystery isn’t that they highlight the murder itself, but the bringing to justice of the bad guy. It is in our nature to hope for the murderer to be caught and dealt with properly by the authorities. Why? Because murder is wrong. There are no circumstances when murder would be right. That is why we are not to commit murder, but instead we must bring the murderer to justice in light of the law—the law of the land and the Law of the Book. It is not ours to become vigilantes, for that would turn us into murderers, but we ought to pray for our law enforcers as they deal with the heinousness of murder on an almost daily basis, we ought to cooperate with them when we are called on to do so. In this manner we help in bringing the murderer to justice.

Yesterday, we had a Christian Family Dedication at our church. This is the third of our children that has been dedicated in this manner--one in Texas, one in Mississippi, and now one in Illinois.

This is the first such dedication we have had since I came to serve at Mulberry Grove. It is also the first that I have had the privilege to conduct as pastor. It was very meaningful to me to conduct my first family dedication service as both pastor and father. Thanks to our associate pastor for his help in the service. Thanks to the church for their support of us and of all parents who desire to raise their children in a Christian home environment.

Here's a book that, if you enjoy good fiction, will turn your head. Two of America's top Christian fiction authors team up to provide twists, turns, suspense, and reading enjoyment. There are times when, as you read, you know you're reading Peretti, and other times that it is definitely the work of Dekker. Then there are moments that you lose yourself in the narrative to the point of no concern for the writer--you're too busy worrying over the characters' well-being.

At times House is predictable, but there are some twisting elements that make it worth your while. From each of the authors, I still think there is better work on the market. For Peretti, I'd choose The Oath, although Monster was a pretty good read. From Dekker, check out Thr3e--you'll never regret it.

Whatever you decide, decide to read a little for relaxation. Let your mind build the pictures and your imagination run wild.

I've never been opposed to the Cardinals. Although I can't say that I never really was a great Cardinal fan either. I lived in Cardinal country before and learned all about the wonders of the Redbirds. I learned that many of the greats in baseball were on the St. Louis Roster.

I guess that the only time that I don't root for the Cardinals now is when they are up against the beloved Astros from my younger years. If you want to root for the underdog, it's always good to choose a team that manages to snatch defeat from the hands of victory on a regular basis.

Last year I was highly disappointed to watch the Astros melt down in the World Series on their first trip out. I have much higher hopes for the Cards this year. If their last series in the play-offs is any indicator, we should be in for a great Series this year: seven games, good to the last drop, hard-hitting, edge-of-your-seat baseball. The last game in New York kept us guessing until the very bottom of the ninth. Letting the tying run on base, with the go-ahead at bat makes for nail-biting baseball action. Then leaving them standing (including the batter) lets us really rejoice.

For you Tiger fans out there, sorry, but here's what I'd like to see: St. Louis takes it in the sixth game--even better, in the Seventh with two games going ino extra innings (preferably 5 and 7). What do you think? I really just want a good show.

Anyone interested should try to get a copy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch from today (October 21, 2006), the cover wrap is great artwork.

About two weeks ago, my eyeglasses fell apart in my hand. They were my first bi-focal prescription and I had only had them a year. The frames broke apart without provocation of any kind. The nature of the break brought the diagnosis that the frames could not be fixed. At the place where I bought the glasses in the first place, they wanted to sell me new frams and mount the old lenses in them.

The decision: If I have to buy new frames, and it's time to have my eyes checked anyway, go to the eye doctor and have a new prescription (if necessary) filled.

The diagnosis: Your vision prescription hasn't changed much at all, but your reading bi-focal should be changed. We ordered new glasses.

I had been wearing my old (bi-focal-less) prescription and straining to read--books, newspapers, even the scriptures (in the pulpit no less). I had to re-do my sermon notes in giant print so as not to lose track of what I was saying and chase rabbits more than normal.

Yesterday I received a call: Your glasses are in. I no sooner placed the new spectacles on my nose than my eyes began to relax. I can read, I can see, and all without eye-strain. I am so thankful for new spectacles!

Having a new life around the house is challenging, exciting, draining, scary, and on and on and on and on. When our first child was born, we couldn’t be more excited. We went through the normal parent-things that included the worry over her weight loss and inability to poop—babies are supposed to eat, sleep, and poop, right? With doctor’s advice, we began working with the baby until she not only started gaining weight and pooping, she surpassed her percentile. Now our five year old is wearing 6/7 larges. She’s tall and thin, but seems to weigh a ton.

We developed an entirely different set of anxieties with the next—it was a boy. Boys are so different from girls. Not just physiologically, but in the way they think and respond. Anger levels are not simply a part of a crying fit, but they include fist swinging, and thrashing tantrums.

Now, new life graces our house again. We had forgotten how small they start, how fast they grow, and how important they are. We are quickly remembering the lost sleep, the late nights and early mornings that accompany diapers and feedings.

When they smile (whether they are five, three, or two months old), they bring out the fool in Daddy. When they talk or coo, they expose his pride. When they hurt, he runs to their aid, even if he doesn’t know what to do. They will always be my babies, even when they can do things for themselves. They will always aggravate, always manipulate, and always satisfy me because they are mine, part of me, my pride and joy.

As children of God, we must be aware that He will always love and care for us, even though we will aggravate, and sometimes try to manipulate Him in our desire to satisfy Him. We will always be His babies, and as He has proven time and again, He is always ready to be there for all our needs.