The Grace Effect--A Must Read

For the last 2 weeks, there have been some rather disturbing stories coming from the Middle East.  There have been assassinations of Americans, protests in the name of religion, and violence.  Of course, this should not come as a shock to anyone--especially evangelical Christians. 

I'm surprised that in light of these events, we haven't heard more from our local atheists.  It's likely that atheists would use these events to demonstrate to us how organized religion is the problem with politics and societies.  After all, aren't all these protests supposedly about a movie insulting another religion?  If there wasn't conflict between religions, would this violence still be occurring?  Yes.  In fact, the violence is indicative of what happens to nations with little evangelical Christian influence.

A few weeks ago, I heard Larry Taunton on the radio discussing the concept of "common grace" and it's effect on a society.  In his recently written book, The Grace Effect, Taunton explains that common grace is "the idea that when there is a significant Christian presence in a given society, it brings tangible benefits not just to the Christian, but to society as a whole."  For example, in the United States, it's not uncommon to see people marching in protest.  But it's rare for these protests to turn violent, bloody, and literally explosive like they do elsewhere in the world.  Taunton points out that the moral sensibilities of our culture stem from a strong tradition of Judeo-Christian values that do not promote violence or chaos.  Instead, he says that our entire country and culture has benefited from the influence of Christianity.

This conversation was enough to peak my interest so that I bought his book.  But when I read it, I literally couldn't put it down.  Mr. Taunton used his family's experience trying to adopt a Ukranian child as the illustration for his contrast of a godless society versus a society that has been touched by "the grace effect."  This book made me laugh. It made me cry.  It gave me a whole other view of Communist Russia.  And it made me take a serious look at the international adoption process (which legally speaking is very fascinating).  But more importantly, it made me realize what an amazing impact that we, as Christ-following Christians can have on our communities and culture and why we should take a true interest in fighting the anti-religious left that seeks to turn our nation in to the next godless regime. 

The Grace Effect is a must read.  To learn more or to order your own copy, visit http://graceeffect.com/.  I promise that you won't be disappointed.

Enjoy the Work Week

I heard an interesting conversation on the radio recently while I was sorting through medical records for work (yes I can multitask).  It was a conversation between a radio talk show host and his guest, who was a friend of the late President Reagan.  The guest (whose name has completely slipped my mind) is apparently known as being a very strong Christian and also a wise economist.  The guest was discussing America's economic crisis, but he also addressed a huge problem that he sees in our country.  That problem is the concept of RETIREMENT.  He said that we create our own problems when we view work as something that we do until the ages of 60-65 and then retire.  Mainly, because we were created to work.

I guess I had never considered the truth that we, as humans, were created to work.  But if you go back to the garden of Eden in Genesis chapter 2, it clearly states that "The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it."  This was before sin.  In God's perfect creation, man was made to work the garden and name the creatures in it.  There's never any mention of the concept that man was created to sleep in, play golf, or to indulge in Creation.  Instead, he had a job to do--and he was given a helper to assist him with that job.  It wasn't until after the fall of man in Genesis 3 that the work became toilsome and hard. 

This point about us as humans being created to work is interesting to me in light of the John Piper book I just finished reading entitled, Don't Waste Your Life.  In it, John encourages believers to not waste their lives working so that they can spend the last 30 years in stagnation and personal serenity.  Instead, he encourages all believers to view their lives as tools for the ministry at all stages of life.  He specifically calls out to those in the workplace and retirees to stay busy doing kingdom work.

As I reflected on the radio conversation I heard and the book I read, it occurred to me that I have been blessed by examples of godly men in my life.  Both of my grandfathers have stayed busy post-retirement working and making a difference in the lives of others.  One actually went oversees on short terms missions and has faithfully led Bible studies in his local nursing homes for years.  The other has worked in a variety of jobs--including a funeral home--and has been not only a glowing example of a godly father and husband, but has also been an encourager to others.  As if on cue, when my own father retired from 30+ years with one company, he went back to school and took a new job handling financial auditing for lots of local churches and faith-based non-profits.  And despite years of hard work, these men all seem happy.  It's because they're doing what they were created to do--WORK.  And not only that, but they're all doing God-honoring, kingdom work!

I used to think that I was a sick person because I like to work (this includes Mommy work).  But maybe I'm just experiencing the satisfaction of doing what I was created to do.  What an awesome truth to consider this week as I am mopping my floors, doing the laundry, bathing my toddlers, answering emails and meeting my professional work deadlines.  I can be filled with joy and contentment knowing that I am doing what I was created to do: to glorify God in my work! 

And to all you fellow kingdom workers in whatever vocation or household role that you fill, have a great week too, knowing that as you work, you are obeying your Creator!!!

Family Football--The First Home Game

Saturday night we enjoyed our first family outing as college football season ticket holders.  Everyone but our 2 year old dressed up in the required white attire (white dresses, dress shirts, and cowboy boots) for the first home game of the season. 

As is typical at these types of outings, you never know how 2 little boys are going to do.  Sometimes the experience is enchanting and exciting to them, and sometimes they're bored to tears.  But this outing turned out to be a blast for our 4 year old.  Mainly, because Daddy has been teaching him football (via the X-box) and also because we allowed him to bring his camera.

A few months ago, my little guy got his hands on my camera and took about 80 pictures of himself and his trains.  So, for his 4th birthday, Grandma and Grandpa bought our little guy his first REAL camera.  Then Grandma taught him how to use it.  Since that time, he has been honing his skills.  And I must say that seeing life through the lens of a 4 year old (literally) is quite interesting. 

So enjoy some ballgame photos courtesy of my 4 year old...

Ok, so he really like the band more than the football team.  And he really like the pony (who was too blurry in the pics to post).  And he was super excited by the fireworks that went off after each touchdown (didn't quite get the camera out in time).  And he was absolutely intrigued by the tailgating sorority/fraternity students who were slightly intoxicated and dancing everywhere (we kept the camera in the bag when we saw them).  And he was super excited by the famous SMU Boulevard Tailgate festivities (It's like a huge red, white, and blue festival in the middle of campus where thousands of people are dressed in dresses, shirts & ties, and  cowboy boots and are enjoying Texas' finest foods--it's a rather unusual form of tailgating). 

He was really bummed when we decided to leave a little early.  But we promised him that he can enjoy more college football at the home game on the 15th.  As it turns out, season tickets have been a great success already!  Thanks Dear Husband for the brilliant idea!

Sing Like Never Before

Sometimes it's a blessing when a song gets stuck in your head.  This week I've been singing the words to Matt Redman's 10,000 Reasons.  I just wanted to share this song of praise...

Bless the Lord, O my soul

O my soul

Worship His holy name

Sing like never before

O my soul

I'll worship Your holy name.

The sun comes up its a new day dawning

It's time to sing Your song again.

Whatever may pass, and whatever lies before me

Let me be singing when the evening comes.

You're rich in love, and You're slow to anger

Your name is great, and Your heart is kind

For all Your goodness I will keep on singing

Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find.

And on that day when my strength is failing

The end draws near and my time has come

Still my soul will sing Your praise unending

Ten thousand years and then forever more.

 Bless the Lord, O my soul

O my soul

Worship His holy name

Sing like never before

O my soul

I'll worship Your holy name.

To listen to Matt Redman's original version, please check out the You tube link below:

When Worldly Wisdom is Wrong

"And He sat down opposite the treasury, and began observing how the people were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent. Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, 'Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.'"  

Mark 12:41-44

I love the story of the widow and her offering as described in Mark 12.  Oftentimes this story is used to explain to us how we don't give enough; how we ought to be willing to give all we have instead of a percentage of what we think we should give.  But I took away another lesson from reading this story this week.  That being: the widow did something incredibly right, yet incredibly stupid from a worldly standpoint.  She was being obedient to God, even if it didn't make practical sense.

I can only imagine what would happen if a widow approached me as a lawyer and asked me to give her wise counsel.  Can you imagine how fast her family would go after my license if I recommended that she give all of her income into the church offering plate?  Or better yet, what if I recommended that she give away her husband's life insurance money to a charity?  I'm betting that even Dave Ramsey would think that I'm a terrible person.  And of course, I could never tell someone else to do that from a financially prudent standpoint.  

But when the widow in Mark 12 gave everything away, she was being obedient to God's call on her life.  She was literally giving God all she had and trusting Him for her provision.  Despite doing something that was financially risky, Jesus commended this woman for her faith and obedience to Him.

I was really challenged today.  Have I been obedient to God's call on my life, or am I hesitant to follow His call because it doesn't seem prudent from a worldly standpoint?  Or, have I wrongfully judged another person for doing something risky, when it was their response to God's call on their life?  It's so easy to see life through a worldly lens.  But I've been called to have a renewed and transformed mind in Christ--a mind that isn't constrained by worldly wisdom.

The Desire of My Soul

"In the path of your judgments, O Lord, we wait for you; your name and remembrance are the desire of our soul." Isaiah 26:8

I've been feeling rather convicted lately.  For the past 18+ weeks, I've been physically ill, tired, and rather miserable.  I have allowed my physical misery to permeate my life and to affect my attitude, my housework, and my relationships.  I have been consciously aware of my bad attitude and have been struggling in my heart and mind with the knowledge that this is sin.  As a result, I haven't really shared much this summer on my blog about what's going on in my head.  Instead, it's just been so much easier to vent out the frustrations of a typical pregnant woman.  I'm sorry.  That is not the intent of this blog.

This week, I hit a wall when I confronted my bad attitude as sin and as completely contrary to what God wants for me.  I'm supposed to be rejoicing in Him and in the amazing gift of life that He has placed inside of me.  I have no idea why God has allowed me to experience 3 yucky pregnancies, but who am I to question His plan for me?  When I came across Isaiah 26:8 this week, I was reminded that my attitude has been so completely opposite of what it should be.  Instead of focusing on my earthly misery (which we're supposed to expect anyway), I should be passionate about Jesus and should be focusing on His greatness.  After all, I would be anticipating eternal suffering if it were not for the redemptive act of Jesus' sacrifice for me on the cross.

Despite my woes and gripes over the past few months, I must say that I'm slightly surprised and discouraged that only one person called me out on my bad attitude.  (Thanks for the verse mom--I did read and appreciate it even though I never said anything.)  Instead, people have sympathized with me, joined me in my complaining, or have avoided me as much as possible.  While this might be socially appropriate, I'm pretty confident that it's not the tactic that the Apostle Paul would have used if he were around.  Instead, he would have told me to quit sinning and to rejoice in all that God has done!  

God has been good to me.  God gave up the life of His only Son for me.  God redeemed me from eternal suffering and punishment.  And God has given me bountiful gifts and blessings like my sweet children.  How can his name not be the desire of my soul?  And how can we not encourage each other to focus on the the greatness of God?!

A Sense of Mission: What We Can Learn From Paul Ryan

 "The disarming thing is his sense of mission is greater than his sense of ambition," says Ryan adviser David Smick, a Washington economic consultant. "This is disconcerting to his critics." 

~ excerpt from Fred Barnes: How Ryan Recasts the Race (Wall Street Journal, Aug. 20, 2012). 

I know that a lot of Christians (and people in general) think that following politics is a huge waste of time.  But I feel that we can learn a lot from politicians, and we can better preserve morality in our society if we pay attention to the nauseating world of politics.  

This morning, I heard Fred Barnes (an opinion writer for the Wall Street Journal) say something about Paul Ryan, the Republican Vice Presidential Candidate that really made me think.  He quoted David Smick, who said that Paul Ryan's appeal to people is that "his sense of mission is greater than his sense of ambition."  This missional attitude to serving our country is extremely appealing to the everyday person who is naturally distrustful of government officials who focus on polls and public appeal rather than public good.  Not only that, but it is threatening to critics who have committed their life's work to serving ambitious politicians.  The critics are finding it hard to cut down someone who is truly committed to doing what is best for others--not himself.  I guess Paul Ryan just represents the concept that sometimes the cause is greater than the man.  And the man who understands this and still fights for the cause, is truly hard to overcome.

As I contemplated the impact that Paul Ryan is having on politics, it occurred to me that if Christians had this same missional approach to life, we too could have an astounding impact on society.  If we truly lived our lives so that our sense of mission was greater than our personal ambition, the world would likely look very different.  If, instead of striving for material success in our jobs, Christians worked with a commitment to excellence and ethics, we could really change the workplace.  If, instead of striving to build mega churches and hit attendance quotas, our churches took their task of serving their communities and reaching out to the needy seriously, our churches might see healthy growth.  And if, Christian families aimed to raise godly children instead of "well-adjusted" individuals who can survive in this world, maybe our young people would be less tempted to cave into worldly pressure.

I think we all have personal ambitions that we have had to deal with in our lives.  For me, I had to understand that my professional success is meaningless if I'm not fulfilling my duty to be a submissive wife and a committed mother (following the example of the Prov 31 wife).  And yet still, I have ambitious ideas that I am understanding will have to be sacrificed if I'm going to truly live a missional life for the glory of God. 

It is my hope and prayer that someday people will say about me, "her sense of mission (for God's work) was greater than her sense of ambition."

The Smart Mommy

I heard something the other night that made me smile...

My oldest son was having a discussion with his father about building a train track in the living room.  I didn't hear all of the conversation, but at some point my husband told my son to go ask Mommy if it was ok.  Usually this happens when our little guy is negotiating really hard and my husband doesn't want to be the bad guy.  Although on occasion, Dear Husband does punt the ball on these kinds of questions when he's too wrapped up in a ballgame while working on his laptop.  (Who says men can't multitask?)  Anyway, my son didn't seem too happy about having to go ask mom. So he asked our favorite three letter word--"Why?"

Since we have informed him that most educated questions begin with 4 letters, he followed up this "why" with "is it because Mommy's really smart and is a nurse?"  I'm not sure what Dear Husband said in response, because I was too busy laughing to hear the rest of the talk.  I just figured I needed to absorb the moment when my son thinks I'm smart.  Unfortunately, I'm sure that this too shall pass.

A Marriage Legacy

In our small group this week, we discussed the issue of marriage and divorce.  To put the conversation in context, our leader asked each of us to describe our parents' marriages and the types of homes we grew up in.  Nothing about this request seemed that unusual to me until I started hearing all the other responses.  Out of a room of 16 church members, Dear Husband and I were the only married couple to have both come from a home where neither of our parents is or has ever been divorced.  Not only that, but we both come from families where none of our grandparents or aunts and uncles have ever been divorced.  Plus, neither of us ever even contemplated that our parents might ever get divorced.  We were both surprised to hear that this is not the norm family situation--even among church people.

Needless to say, our group discussion was actually different from what I expected this week.  We essentially discussed Sunday's sermon on the topic of Marriage, Divorce, and Re-Marriage (To hear this week's insightful sermon on marriage, please go here: Marriage, Divorce, and Re-Marriage), and I clearly took away a different application than many in my small group had taken.  I was encouraged by the emphasis that God's Word has on how good marriage is for people.  And I was surprised by our pastor's endorsement for young marriage.
 
All through law school, I heard people talk about how surprised they were that I was married (I started law school at the age of 24 and graduated when I was 28).  Everyone seemed to think that my marriage was doomed for failure because I had been such a young bride at the age of 22. Besides, it is common knowledge that few marriages survive law school--especially when both spouses are in two different schools in two different cities at the same time.  To many of my peers, my marriage was an anomaly.

That said, I've never really worried that I was married too young.  Since my mom was married when she was 20 and my mother-in-law was married at 18, I have had really great examples of how young love works.  It honestly never even crossed my mind that getting married at the age of 22 was risky.  Probably because it wasn't.  I am married to a Christian man who, like me, is committed to a life-long marriage.  For us, this is what marriage is supposed to be--this being reinforced by the examples of our families' marriages.

So while the rest of our small group has committed to starting legacies in their families for healthy marriages, Dear Husband and I have committed to continuing the legacy that has been passed down to us.  Thank you to all of our family members who have demonstrated to us what marriage is supposed to look like.  To come from families who have lived out God's design for marriage is truly a blessing.  Plus, it has made our marriage stronger.

The Birthing Class: Do You Really Need It?

Last night I was wandering the halls of a local hospital in search of a bathroom. (Why was I there?  It's a long story--and no, I wasn't there for myself. I was just accompanying someone else who is currently fine.)  Anyway, as a pregnant woman, I became desperate in my search for a bathroom when I realized that the one closest to my waiting room was blocked off.  Thus, I began a long, long trek down multiple hallways until some nice girl pointed me in the proper direction.  Ironically, this bathroom was located near the L & D suite. 

Anyway, while I was on my journey, I noticed a husband and pregnant wife who were leaving the hospital with their arms full of stuff--but with no baby.  I actually felt a stab of pity for them.  2 years ago, I had the opportunity to visit the hospital twice in preterm labor and still leave with no baby. (Thankfully, the 3rd time was the charm when I brought home the cutest little boy.) 

A few minutes later as I was exiting the bathroom, I noticed another couple walking out loaded with things and no baby.  And then, as more couples started leaving the classroom nearby, it occurred to me that these poor souls were taking a birthing class!  I laughed so hard and just wanted to yell "suckers!" to those poor people. 

Don't get me wrong, I think there is definitely a time and place for birthing/parenting classes (i.e. if you're having a home birth or are really committed to no drugs).  And some parents who don't have a clue about childbirth probably need these classes.  But generally speaking, these classes can also be deceiving and can fill daddies and mommies-to-be with unrealistic expectations of the birthing process.  They can also be a huge waste of time and money.

I did not take a birthing class. In fact, my wise doctor informed me that it wasn't really necessary.  Either way, he was still going to deliver my baby.  As it turned out with my first baby, no birthing class could have prepared me for the crazy events that took place.  Plus, my husband really felt better NOT knowing what was going to happen.   He figured that the class would gross him out.   So, as shocking as it sounds, this type-A couple (who were also law students at the time) decided to wing it.  And we survived.  Or more importantly, our son survived, thrived and was sleeping through the night in a matter of weeks. 

So I guess the moral of the story is this: if you want to take a birthing class to be prepared, do so at your own risk.  You'll probably learn some useful things.  But you could just as easily read a book, watch TLC, or wing it like I did.  If you have the time and money to devote to positions, stretches, and breathing techniques (which I never needed), then go for it.  But just remember this: having a baby is unpredictable.  Very rarely does a birth--especially for a first-time mom--go as planned.

If you read my bio you might argue that as a registered nurse, I didn't need the classes because I already knew everything that would be taught at the class.  While it is true that I have a good handle on the stages of labor and the basics of childbirth, nursing school did not even remotely prepare me for the events of my first childbirth experience.  Quite the contrary is true--having a child made me a much more competent nurse (and now attorney).