4.27.2005
NPR News
NPR has been covering some interesting stories lately. I have been keeping an eye on the Anglican Church situation with some interest, and NPR has been covering the story to some degree. There was a story of another church (in Kansas) that has left the Episcopal Church, and how many more are expected to leave as well. The church described sounded much like a typical mega-church with video screens and pathetic contemporary worship (they even played a clip, and I cringed). And when I say "pathetic" I don't even mean to comment on whether or not "contemporary" music should be used for worship, but rather just that it is so...bad. I mean, if you're going to try and be like the world, at least try and be good at it.
NPR is also doing a series on the"Global Market" and how it affects the economy. Yesterday they had an old Texas cotton farmer on, and it was interesting to see the ideas from "I'll Take My Stand" at work. Here is a man that is so dependent on the money economy and in particular a money crop, that he is completely enslaved to the system. The Twelve Southerners lamented that as a result of industrialization, farmers in the South would be competing with farmers across the country, but here is a man who has to compete with farmers across the world. So he is paid by the government to over-produce his cotton, and is shipped by freight to china where it is made into fabric, then shipped to indonesia to be turned into a t-shirt, shipped back to the good ole USofA, and then distributed by Wal-Mart to the good country-folk in that same farmer's hometown.
NPR has been covering some interesting stories lately. I have been keeping an eye on the Anglican Church situation with some interest, and NPR has been covering the story to some degree. There was a story of another church (in Kansas) that has left the Episcopal Church, and how many more are expected to leave as well. The church described sounded much like a typical mega-church with video screens and pathetic contemporary worship (they even played a clip, and I cringed). And when I say "pathetic" I don't even mean to comment on whether or not "contemporary" music should be used for worship, but rather just that it is so...bad. I mean, if you're going to try and be like the world, at least try and be good at it.
NPR is also doing a series on the"Global Market" and how it affects the economy. Yesterday they had an old Texas cotton farmer on, and it was interesting to see the ideas from "I'll Take My Stand" at work. Here is a man that is so dependent on the money economy and in particular a money crop, that he is completely enslaved to the system. The Twelve Southerners lamented that as a result of industrialization, farmers in the South would be competing with farmers across the country, but here is a man who has to compete with farmers across the world. So he is paid by the government to over-produce his cotton, and is shipped by freight to china where it is made into fabric, then shipped to indonesia to be turned into a t-shirt, shipped back to the good ole USofA, and then distributed by Wal-Mart to the good country-folk in that same farmer's hometown.
4.25.2005
Email Discussion Lists
It's always great on email discussion lists to quote scripture during a debate and watch everyone rush to explain it away.
It's always great on email discussion lists to quote scripture during a debate and watch everyone rush to explain it away.
Essay on the Cost of Progress
I've been slowly working my way through "I'll Take My Stand" by the Twelve Southerners and really enjoying most of the essays. Last night I read an essay that communicated exactly the ideas that I have been thinking. The essay was entitled The Hind Tit and was written by Andrew Nelson Lytle. Here's a little quote regarding the coming influence of industrialization and what a man should do to prepare for it:
This essay also seems to have served as the basis for H.L. Roush's "Henry and the Great Society," which expands many of Lytle's observations into a full narrative of the effects of "Progress." For those interested in reading through the 45 page essay, I found an online copy HERE (link to The Hind Tit).
I've been slowly working my way through "I'll Take My Stand" by the Twelve Southerners and really enjoying most of the essays. Last night I read an essay that communicated exactly the ideas that I have been thinking. The essay was entitled The Hind Tit and was written by Andrew Nelson Lytle. Here's a little quote regarding the coming influence of industrialization and what a man should do to prepare for it:
"They also tell him that he (meaning his family) deserves motor-cars, picture shows, chainstore dresses for the women-folks, and all the articles in Sears-Roebuck catalogues. By telling him how great is his deserving, they prepare the way to deprive him of his natural deserts. He must close his ears to these heresies that accumulate about his head, for they roll from the tongues of false prophets. He should know that prophets do not come from cities, promising riches and store clothes. They have always come from the wilderness, stinking of goats and running with lice and telling of a different sort of treasure, one a corporation head would not understand."
This essay also seems to have served as the basis for H.L. Roush's "Henry and the Great Society," which expands many of Lytle's observations into a full narrative of the effects of "Progress." For those interested in reading through the 45 page essay, I found an online copy HERE (link to The Hind Tit).
4.22.2005
Great Bookstore
Found this link on Chad's blog:
Vision Harvest
There are some really good books and resources there.
Found this link on Chad's blog:
Vision Harvest
There are some really good books and resources there.
Natalists
Someone needs to make a bumper sticker that says:
"Natalists: taking over the world, one child at a time"
I know of 4 babies who have been born to four such men in the past three weeks!
Someone needs to make a bumper sticker that says:
"Natalists: taking over the world, one child at a time"
I know of 4 babies who have been born to four such men in the past three weeks!
4.21.2005
Covenant Communities
I have been pondering Covenant Communities so much in the last six months my head is about to burst. Although I did not get to see it in action while at the Highlands Study Center Conference, I am aware of the loving community that exists there through an earlier visit, and from the throngs of people who have now decided that is where they want to live. While Virginia is the state in which I want to someday live, Bristol is not the reason why.
Chad Degenhart is one who is much more adept at pondering and writing about the situation of the covenant community. He has a fine post that asks some good questions and provides some links to discussion on the subject.
It can all be quite vexing to someone living in the middle of discontent-suburbia, who is contemplating changing the course of life for his family and the generations to come, but hey, that's part of the job description!
I have been pondering Covenant Communities so much in the last six months my head is about to burst. Although I did not get to see it in action while at the Highlands Study Center Conference, I am aware of the loving community that exists there through an earlier visit, and from the throngs of people who have now decided that is where they want to live. While Virginia is the state in which I want to someday live, Bristol is not the reason why.
Chad Degenhart is one who is much more adept at pondering and writing about the situation of the covenant community. He has a fine post that asks some good questions and provides some links to discussion on the subject.
It can all be quite vexing to someone living in the middle of discontent-suburbia, who is contemplating changing the course of life for his family and the generations to come, but hey, that's part of the job description!
4.20.2005
We had a great time at the Highlands Study Center. We met some wonderful people there including Greg and Amy, Valerie, and Rick Saenz. We also met a bunch of other great people, all of whom were looking for housing in the area!
Honestly, the whole meeting online people offline thing freaked me out. It's weird to meet people you know, but don't know at all.
It was a challenging and encouraging time and stirred up lots of thoughtful discussions with my wife on the way home. We also listened to Doug Wilson's "Covenant Family" series, which was excellent.
Honestly, the whole meeting online people offline thing freaked me out. It's weird to meet people you know, but don't know at all.
It was a challenging and encouraging time and stirred up lots of thoughtful discussions with my wife on the way home. We also listened to Doug Wilson's "Covenant Family" series, which was excellent.
4.14.2005
4.12.2005
As We Also Have Forgiven Our Debtors
Okay, it's back. For those of you who have no idea, this is a continuation of a series on the Lord's Prayer that I was doing. The first post is here. The rest can be found in the sidebar.
Mt 6: 12 "as we also have forgiven our debtors"
This is another phrase that has given me some trouble in the past. The men in our previous church got into a big discussion regarding what the requirements for forgiveness are. One of the brothers believed that he was not required to forgive someone if they never asked for forgiveness or admitted their guilt. When someone brought up this phrase, the brother said that it only supported his view more. The reasoning was that God only forgives our sins when we ask for His forgiveness (the fact that this man was adamantly opposed to Limited Atonement now seems a little contradictory). If we do not ask, then God does not forgive, and that is how we are to operate as well.
I honestly don't have a solid defense against this, but Matthew 6:14-15 (right after the prayer) seems to work:
That way of thinking (not forgiving if someone has not asked) just seems wrong to me. It gets harder when you deal with specifics and individual situations where people refuse to admit guilt and seek forgiveness, but it just doesn't jive with me.
So when I am praying, I try to think of people whom might have offended or hurt me, and I ask God to grant me the ability to forgive them. I find myself unable to grant forgiveness in the way that God does, and yet He has told me to forgive others.
Okay, it's back. For those of you who have no idea, this is a continuation of a series on the Lord's Prayer that I was doing. The first post is here. The rest can be found in the sidebar.
Mt 6: 12 "as we also have forgiven our debtors"
This is another phrase that has given me some trouble in the past. The men in our previous church got into a big discussion regarding what the requirements for forgiveness are. One of the brothers believed that he was not required to forgive someone if they never asked for forgiveness or admitted their guilt. When someone brought up this phrase, the brother said that it only supported his view more. The reasoning was that God only forgives our sins when we ask for His forgiveness (the fact that this man was adamantly opposed to Limited Atonement now seems a little contradictory). If we do not ask, then God does not forgive, and that is how we are to operate as well.
I honestly don't have a solid defense against this, but Matthew 6:14-15 (right after the prayer) seems to work:
14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
That way of thinking (not forgiving if someone has not asked) just seems wrong to me. It gets harder when you deal with specifics and individual situations where people refuse to admit guilt and seek forgiveness, but it just doesn't jive with me.
So when I am praying, I try to think of people whom might have offended or hurt me, and I ask God to grant me the ability to forgive them. I find myself unable to grant forgiveness in the way that God does, and yet He has told me to forgive others.
“O God, command what you wouldst, and grant what thou dost command.”~ Augustine
4.11.2005
Henry and the Great Society
My good friend David gave me a book a couple of months ago called Henry and the Great Society that is a sort of critique of modern, industrial society. The book had a profound impact on me, and I thought it was right up the alley of my friend Chad.
Chad read the book and also enjoyed it and has now started a little discussion page for those who have read it. So, go buy the book, and come post your thoughts!
My good friend David gave me a book a couple of months ago called Henry and the Great Society that is a sort of critique of modern, industrial society. The book had a profound impact on me, and I thought it was right up the alley of my friend Chad.
Chad read the book and also enjoyed it and has now started a little discussion page for those who have read it. So, go buy the book, and come post your thoughts!
A Little Trip
We are really enjoying our little Summit. Lily and Asher have both been sick this weekend, but we had a great time with some visiting relatives. Lily and Asher both love their brother SO much.
It turns out that Lindsay and I are going to the Highlands Study Center conference. We visited St. Peter's last fall and were really blown away by the worship, plus, we love going to Virginia. It should be a great trip!
We are really enjoying our little Summit. Lily and Asher have both been sick this weekend, but we had a great time with some visiting relatives. Lily and Asher both love their brother SO much.
It turns out that Lindsay and I are going to the Highlands Study Center conference. We visited St. Peter's last fall and were really blown away by the worship, plus, we love going to Virginia. It should be a great trip!
4.06.2005
Birth Story
On Wednesday, when I cam home from work around 4:45 my wife had just been awakened from her nap by some strong contractions. We timed them at about 4 minutes apart for about an hour, so we called the midwife. She asked if anything else had happened with her body other than contractions, to which I said no. So she told us to call her back if anything else happened. Lindsay kept laboring with her contractions varying between 3-7 minutes, with increasing painfulness. At around 7:30 we decided to go back to our own house for some peace and quiet (we had been staying at my parents so they could keep the kids). At about 9:30pm Lindsay moved to the next stage and I called the midwife to tell her, and she told us to come on over to the birthing center.
The birth center is a nice little place with two birthing rooms (which look like nice bed and breakfast bedrooms), a birthing tub room, and some assorted rooms I've never been in. We brought all our stuff (pillows, clothes, food - yes, they encourage you to eat!) and got settled in. Lindsay was starting to be in pain now and could not sit or lie down. After about 30 minutes of using the birthing ball, she decided to get in the tub to ease some pain.
My wife labored in the tub for about an hour and half, and it was the most intense thing I have ever seen. Keep in mind I'm not a new father, I've seen my wife deliver two times before, but both were drug induced hospital births. I'll just say that I was afraid that I was going to have hearing damage. There's nothing like seeing your wife in labor, it just kind of puts you out of commission. There's actually a great scene in Anna Karenina where Kitty is giving birth and the book explains what her husband is going through. I thought it was pretty accurate.
Although she hadn't planned on it, Lindsay ended up staying in the tub to deliver. She pushed for about six minutes and the baby's head came out. It took another two minutes for him to rotate his shoulders and he was under water the whole time. From my understanding, babies don't starting breathing until the air hits their face, which triggers their breathing reflex. When he was out, they passed the baby under water up to my wife's arms, it was pretty weird, very cool, but weird.
Lindsay held the baby while they checked him out and got him breathing good. I didn't cut the cord until it stopped pulsating, which was about eight minutes later. One neat thing was that the baby was totally clean when he came out of the water. After that they did all the weighing and what not and then Lindsay and the baby got in the bed and nursed.
I was really awed by how laid-back, but in control everything was. It was very quiet and comfortable, and there was a lot of emphasis on letting the body do it's on thing. It was kind of like my wife's body went on cruise control and she couldn't do anything about it (sorry, another analogy to machinery). Let me say that the healing process and my wife's over all well being are so, so much better this time. Both of the hospital births gave my wife pain for months after the actual delivery because of the unnatural way things are done. She looked totally restored to good health 45 minutes after the delivery, and doesn't have any of the "healing" to do that she had to before. I love that glow that mothers have after a delivery. My wife was absolutely radiating after the birth.
We slept at the birth center until about 6:00am and then went home. I won't go into the trouble that our pediatrician gave us as a result of going to a birth center, because I will get too worked up. The whole "system" makes me a little sick.
All-in-all, bearing in mind that I wasn't the one delivering, I thought everything went great. It seemed to be a much better way of doing things for my wife AND the baby. Summit was big boy, and honestly looked a little goofy when he first came out. Now he is a very handsome little boy. His head is perfectly symmetrical and looks more like a c-section baby's head (he had no coning). When we saw the pediatrician for the 24 hour check-up, the nurse asked if we were there for the one-month check-up.
Praise the Lord for His goodness in our lives!
On Wednesday, when I cam home from work around 4:45 my wife had just been awakened from her nap by some strong contractions. We timed them at about 4 minutes apart for about an hour, so we called the midwife. She asked if anything else had happened with her body other than contractions, to which I said no. So she told us to call her back if anything else happened. Lindsay kept laboring with her contractions varying between 3-7 minutes, with increasing painfulness. At around 7:30 we decided to go back to our own house for some peace and quiet (we had been staying at my parents so they could keep the kids). At about 9:30pm Lindsay moved to the next stage and I called the midwife to tell her, and she told us to come on over to the birthing center.
The birth center is a nice little place with two birthing rooms (which look like nice bed and breakfast bedrooms), a birthing tub room, and some assorted rooms I've never been in. We brought all our stuff (pillows, clothes, food - yes, they encourage you to eat!) and got settled in. Lindsay was starting to be in pain now and could not sit or lie down. After about 30 minutes of using the birthing ball, she decided to get in the tub to ease some pain.
My wife labored in the tub for about an hour and half, and it was the most intense thing I have ever seen. Keep in mind I'm not a new father, I've seen my wife deliver two times before, but both were drug induced hospital births. I'll just say that I was afraid that I was going to have hearing damage. There's nothing like seeing your wife in labor, it just kind of puts you out of commission. There's actually a great scene in Anna Karenina where Kitty is giving birth and the book explains what her husband is going through. I thought it was pretty accurate.
Although she hadn't planned on it, Lindsay ended up staying in the tub to deliver. She pushed for about six minutes and the baby's head came out. It took another two minutes for him to rotate his shoulders and he was under water the whole time. From my understanding, babies don't starting breathing until the air hits their face, which triggers their breathing reflex. When he was out, they passed the baby under water up to my wife's arms, it was pretty weird, very cool, but weird.
Lindsay held the baby while they checked him out and got him breathing good. I didn't cut the cord until it stopped pulsating, which was about eight minutes later. One neat thing was that the baby was totally clean when he came out of the water. After that they did all the weighing and what not and then Lindsay and the baby got in the bed and nursed.
I was really awed by how laid-back, but in control everything was. It was very quiet and comfortable, and there was a lot of emphasis on letting the body do it's on thing. It was kind of like my wife's body went on cruise control and she couldn't do anything about it (sorry, another analogy to machinery). Let me say that the healing process and my wife's over all well being are so, so much better this time. Both of the hospital births gave my wife pain for months after the actual delivery because of the unnatural way things are done. She looked totally restored to good health 45 minutes after the delivery, and doesn't have any of the "healing" to do that she had to before. I love that glow that mothers have after a delivery. My wife was absolutely radiating after the birth.
We slept at the birth center until about 6:00am and then went home. I won't go into the trouble that our pediatrician gave us as a result of going to a birth center, because I will get too worked up. The whole "system" makes me a little sick.
All-in-all, bearing in mind that I wasn't the one delivering, I thought everything went great. It seemed to be a much better way of doing things for my wife AND the baby. Summit was big boy, and honestly looked a little goofy when he first came out. Now he is a very handsome little boy. His head is perfectly symmetrical and looks more like a c-section baby's head (he had no coning). When we saw the pediatrician for the 24 hour check-up, the nurse asked if we were there for the one-month check-up.
Praise the Lord for His goodness in our lives!
Thank you all for your congratulations on the birth of our son Summit David. He already looks like a one-month old and we are immensely enjoying his presence. His sister wants nothing else but hold HER new baby, and big brother isn't sure what to do, but definitely wants to wrestle.
My wife is doing well and is recovering so much better after this birth than the previous two. I will write up a little birth story for all those interested in such things. The delivery took place at a birth center with a midwife and all I will say right now is that it will take an absolute emergency to ever get us back into a hospital again!
It's easy to feel a little overwhelmed with three children under the age of three, but we are thankful that the Lord has blessed in ways which we do not deserve. Please pray for strenght for my wife and the ability for the both of us to enjoy God's gracious gifts.
Misc:
Someone found my blog while searching for "placenta garden." I thought that was really funny. I guess it was this post that was to fault.
I finished Anna Karenina the other night. What a massive book! I find myself really enjoying Russian Literature. Does anyone have any recommendations other than Tolstoy and Dostoevsky?
I'm getting pretty good at book-binding (forgive my boasting), so if anyone has a favorite paperback they would like turned into a hardcover or a damaged hardcover that needs repair, let me know.
My wife is doing well and is recovering so much better after this birth than the previous two. I will write up a little birth story for all those interested in such things. The delivery took place at a birth center with a midwife and all I will say right now is that it will take an absolute emergency to ever get us back into a hospital again!
It's easy to feel a little overwhelmed with three children under the age of three, but we are thankful that the Lord has blessed in ways which we do not deserve. Please pray for strenght for my wife and the ability for the both of us to enjoy God's gracious gifts.
Misc:
Someone found my blog while searching for "placenta garden." I thought that was really funny. I guess it was this post that was to fault.
I finished Anna Karenina the other night. What a massive book! I find myself really enjoying Russian Literature. Does anyone have any recommendations other than Tolstoy and Dostoevsky?
I'm getting pretty good at book-binding (forgive my boasting), so if anyone has a favorite paperback they would like turned into a hardcover or a damaged hardcover that needs repair, let me know.
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