Autumn's piano recital

This morning was my eldest daughter's first piano recital. She played after several other people had gone. It was sweet. It never crossed Autumn's mind to be nervous about being on stage---hmmm...what does that mean =) Ms. Kay called Autumn up and said to Autumn, And are you six now? Autumn replies in a clear, confident voice. "Yes, I am already six." Everyone burst out laughing. It was very cute. Autumn played Old MacDonald with no mistakes. Then she smiled and walked back to her seat.

Afterwards, everyone commented on how cute Autumn was but when I spoke with one woman, she told me what her niece said after Autumn's six statement. She said, "Wow! She looks great for being six!" The cute little girl was only 7 herself. She said it the way a young woman would say about an older woman Wow! She looks great for her age!

Such funny things they say...

Spam everywhere...

You know it's a very funny thing that spam is the word used for junk that we don't want sent to our email accounts. I think Spam would also apply to totally irrelevant comments on a blog =) My last entry got the most bizarre comment (the second comment). I had gotten one very random post before from a guy named Mike to a gal named Barbara--so funny!--my name is definitely not Barbara. =) Anyways, I am activating the comment moderation on my blog--just to avoid "viagra" spam like someone or some computer program posted on this blog today.

Anyways, I just thought I'd explain... =)

Birthday meals

A few weeks ago, when I asked Autumn what she wanted to eat on her birthday this is what she wanted:
Breakfast: Golden Grahams
Lunch: Macaroni and Cheese and grapes
Dinner: Chicken Fingers and sweet potatoes

This morning I asked Sami because her birthday is on Sunday and this is what she said (this cracked me up)
Breakfast: Pancakes
Lunch: Cereal
Dinner: Eggs and Biscuits
She is my little breakfast eater. She is a horrible dinner eater--but if she could have breakfast all the time, she'd be as happy as a clam! =)

Convicting, Yet Encouraging Book

I just finished Respectable Sins. I included a quote from this book a few days ago while I was in the process of reading it. It was a thoroughly good book to the end. Over the past few years, I have found a few authors that I resonate with--who seem understandable, knowledgeable, and biblical in their counsel. I find myself at peace when I read their books because I know I can take it to the Word and not find that the Word contradicts what they have written. And I know that what they have written is grounded in the Word. I also have found myself more and more drawn to authors who rely more on translations than paraphrased versions of the Bible for the scriptures they site and talk about in their books. Paraphrased versions already have been interpreted by the authors who wrote them. I appreciate Paraphrases at times, but when I am looking to do a Bible Study, encouragement, or counsel, I prefer that to come from a Translation. Before this summer, I had never read a book by Jerry Bridges. The pastor of a church we used to attend had recommended his books, though.

I think that Jerry Bridges has quite possibly become one of my very favorite authors. His books are straightforward, coherant, and both thoughtful and thought-provoking. In Respectable Sins, he quotes scripture primarily from the ESV and secondarily from the NIV.

The premise of Respectable Sins is to talk about 1) what sins we tolerate in the church and in our own lives and 2) how to tackle and address those sins in a practical way. His answers for #2 are not pat answers. They are to keep perspective of the gospel and God's grace, to repent, to pray, to go to the Word, and to seek accountability. He urges the reader to seek God in humility and lay our hearts before Him. For God knows what is in our hearts.

Bridges addresses Anger, Pride, Impatience and Irritability, Worldliness and Idolatry, and Ungodliness among the respectable sins that he talks about. I appreciated his definitions of what each of these are. So often we use words and take for granted what they mean instead of really knowing what they mean and defining them. Here is an example:

"Ungodliness may be defined as living one's everyday life with little or no thought of God, or of God's will, or of God's glory, of one's dependence on God."

But, there were several other quotes that I especially enjoyed and this is one of them...

"Our spiritual life may be compared to the motor of an electric appliance. The
motor does the actual work, but it is constantly dependent upon the external power source of the electricity to enable it to work. Therefore, we should cultivate an attitude of continual dependence on the Holy Spirit."

I love that picture of the motor and electricity. The motor doesn't run by itself, but it doesn't just wait for the electricity to make everything happen. It needs the electricity--it can't run without it.

This book is very good and I would highly recommend it--it is convicting, yet encouraging at the very same time. Bridges is not condemning in what he says. He is gracious in his tone as he writes--and I think that is one of the thingsthat makes his books so easy for me to read--He speaks the truth in love.

So glad to have well kids...

I think one of the hardest things about having sick kids is that they just don't act like themselves. For a week and a half, Eli was mostly cranky, sour mouthed, and crying. Yesterday, I watched him giggle when I tickled him, sign "please" for his milk, smile and laugh, wave good bye to a dog at the park, light up at the sight of all of the squirrels at the park, and just generally be in a good mood. What a blessing! And it helped my patience with everything else a lot too =)

Sami is getting over her cough still so I think it will take her a few more days. But, with her it's different--her tears. On one hand, older siblings help children grow up and then on the other, younger siblings keep them young. Sami so often acts like Autumn, but then so often acts like Eli too.

Crazy Love and Lukewarm Christians

The other day I was talking to a fellow from our small group about the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan. I have the second book he wrote called Forgotten God, but for some reason just haven't picked it up yet. I believe the premise of the book is a call by Chan urging Christians to realize what it really mean to love God wholeheartedly.

One of the strongest chapters, so I've been told and have read in reviews, is the fourth chapter about Lukewarm Christians. From what I've gathered, Chan asserts that the scripture in Revelation 3:16 "So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth." that there are no lukewarm Christians--such people are not saved.

The day after I had this conversation, I was reading Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges and the chapter I was ready was about the respectable sin of ungodliness, which Bridges describes as "an ungodly attitude toward God." later, in the chapter in more detail-- "Ungodliness may be defined as living one's everyday life with little or no thought of God, or of God's will, or of God's glory, or of one's dependence on God." (p.54) It was interesting to me that I would read this chapter right after the discussion about Chan's book. The ideas seemed similar yet very different.

Last night, I took these thoughts to my husband and we had a great discussion. I asked him what he'd thought about Forgotten God, the book. I'd seen him pick it up several times. He said that he didn't feel he could really be a wise judge of its theology because he hasn't read it from cover to cover, but that he could tell the author says things differently than he would.

So, we started talking about the idea of Lukewarm Christians. I grew up in LA and spent the first 22 years of my life on the west coast, then spent 5 in the midwest/west, 4 in the south, and now 4 around the Mason Dixon Line. Christians are viewed differently in each place, culturally. In the south, everyone goes to church on Sunday--it's what you do whether or not you're a strong believer. But, BUT, in the West, you go to church if you're a follower of Christ. And if you're not, you don't. That's where Chan lives--specifically he lives and is a pastor in So. Cal. where I grew up. When we lived in the south, I started to see that there are a lot of "gray" Christians--everything isn't so black and white like it is on the West Coast. It's a funny thing about us as Americans, sometimes we think that if something is a certain way in one part of the country, then it must be that way all across the U.S. But, that's not true. There are so many regional differences in the U.S.

Aside from the cultural views of Christians, though there is another way to think about Chan's point, which my husband talked with me about. In Revelation, the churches are being reprimanded. But, they are not being discarded. Paul says that we are saved by grace not by works in Romans. So, if one was to assert that one could lose their salvation by being a lukewarm Christian, that would be toeing the line and asserting that someone could lose their salvation by backsliding or being "lukewarm". The Word does say that God will discipline those he loves. Being spit out would be pretty harsh to me, but wouldn't that be discipline? Weren't the churches being encouraged to get back on track--by hearing that the consequences of their behavior and actions were not desirable?

I do believe we are saved by grace, through faith, not of ourselves or anything we have done. God's grace is something I have never deserved, and I know it. I am thankful every day for it. And I am also thankful for the security of God's love that I can never do anything to lose God's love and that He will not abandon me.

Just a few thoughts. =) I am really enjoying Respectable Sins--wow! It is so challenging. What a blessing it is to read a great book that challenges my heart and mind!