Archive for 2002

December 19th, 2002 A Tribute

I saw this on Valerie’s blog and wanted to dedicate it to my sister, Sandy, who knows firsthand how rough retail can be during the holidays. Hang in there Sandy!! ( Valerie, thanks for the song!)

It’s beginning to sound a lot like Christmas
Everywhere you go –
People snarling at the clerks
And acting like total jerks
‘Til you’d really like to tell ‘em where to go!
It’s beginning to sound a lot like Christmas
As they shrilly fill the store.
You will never a sweet sound hear,
‘Til your own dear home appears
And you slam the door!

December 14th, 2002 O Tannenbaum

Early on in our marriage, before we had kids, I used to spend tons of time decorating and beautifying our house in preparation for the Christmas season. I made wreaths, strung popcorn and cranberries, and one year fashioned an entire tree’s worth of pine cone ornaments for our humble Home Depot pine, as we had very few store-bought ornaments of our own. Jay used to tease me about bringing dead things into the house to make it look more alive!

Now that we have three children, my time allotment for such activities has grown smaller but the time we do spend preparing for this season seems sweeter and even more meaningful. We now have the privilege of seeing Christmas through the eyes of an almost 4 and 2 year old. Abigail knows that Christmas is Jesus’ birthday and I can remember last year when she was very concerned to hear that when He came to earth He was not given a “comfy bed” to sleep in. Jonathan is just now learning about the Baby Jesus and spends lots of time begging to hold the little Jesus toy in our fabric “creche”.

This year the acquisition of a tree was especially important to both Abigail and Jonathan. Jay and I, after 7 years of bringing home a freshly cut tree, made the very difficult decision to go “artificial”. I say difficult because the romantic in me loves the smell and feel of the real tree, yet the practical side says the pine needles are a pain to keep up with.
Read the rest of this entry »

December 13th, 2002 Wheat and Weeds

Last night in our small group, we looked at the parable of the weeds in Matthew 13 [+/-]Matthew 13 [13:1]That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. [2]And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. [3]And he told them many things in parables, saying: "A sower went out to sow. [4]And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. [5]Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, [6]but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. [7]Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. [8]Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. [9]He who has ears, let him hear." [10]Then the disciples came and said to him, "Why do you speak to them in parables?" [11]And he answered them, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. [12]For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. [13]This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. [14]Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: "'You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive. [15]For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.' [16]But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. [17]For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it. [18]"Hear then the parable of the sower: [19]When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. [20]As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, [21]yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. [22]As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. [23]As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty." [24]He put another parable before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, [25]but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. [26]So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. [27]And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, 'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?' [28]He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' So the servants said to him, 'Then do you want us to go and gather them?' [29]But he said, 'No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. [30]Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'" [31]He put another parable before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. [32]It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches." [33]He told them another parable. "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened." [34]All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable. [35]This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet: "I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world." [36]Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field." [37]He answered, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. [38]The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, [39]and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the close of the age, and the reapers are angels. [40]Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age. [41]The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, [42]and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. [43]Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. [44]"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. [45]"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, [46]who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it. [47]"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. [48]When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. [49]So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous [50]and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. [51]"Have you understood all these things?" They said to him, "Yes." [52]And he said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old." [53]And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there, [54]and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, "Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? [55]Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? [56]And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?" [57]And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household." [58]And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief. (ESV)
. I was struck by its relevance to my brother’s line of thought developed in his sermon on I Timothy 3:16 [+/-]1 Timothy 3:16 [16]Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.
, Why Was Jesus Justified. In the application at the end, Mark points out:

Secondly, this might help us understand that, even though we have, in substance, our entire salvation in Jesus Christ, we really are still waiting for it to be revealed. Right now, we look and feel like the wicked around us. We too get cancer and deal with old age, and have our children get sick, and struggle with finances, just like all the unbelievers around us. We too are under the general curse that was imposed on the sinful human race.

The parable makes some radical claims in which Jesus describes what the kingdom of God will be like. Let’s not forget that there were some strong notions regarding the Kingdom that held sway in Israel at that point in history. The Romans would be beaten back. The nations would look to Israel. Israel would be liberated to follow the Torah, separating herself from the pagans according to the various laws. Yet here Jesus says that in the kingdom the wheat and weeds will grow side by side, and that they will be so hard to tell apart that if the servants were to attempt to weed the field (the kingdom), they would uproot wheat along with weeds. This is rather explosive stuff to be saying among a people whose national hope is that they will one day be shown, via their faithfulness to Torah, to be the true people of God when their oppressors are ground under their feet!

Here we are in the kingdom, and as Mark highlights in his sermon, the children of the kingdom look a lot like the children of the enemy. This notion slips away from many as they want to preserve the notion of the kingdom for a time in which evil is put in its place, and that will certainly be the case one day. But Jesus calls this field in which both wheat and weeds grow the kingdom. Though we wait for the day of harvest, we do so in the kingdom. By faith we wait, growing alongside weeds, with a hope of the future harvest, in the present reality of the kingdom.

December 11th, 2002 A Hard Weekend

Friday afternoon as Jay and I were preparing for our first date night out together since September Jonathan started throwing up in his crib and all over his bedroom rug. We cleaned him up and brought him downstairs with us. He continued to get sick that evening and all night (meaning Jay and I slept in about 15-20 minute increments for a total of not very much), seemed to get better during the day (Saturday), but after a few Tablespoons of Pedialite got sick again. Several more hours of nothing, then more throwing up. Every time we offered him anything but water his tummy would reject it. All the while he was whimpering “more water please”, “thirsty, please!”. He’s very good about using his polite words sometimes even when he is not happy with life. Sweet boy. After a chat with the on call pediatrician Saturday night, when JonJon had been throwing up for more than 24 hours, we received kind of an ultimatum: either Jonathan’s body would handle a 1 tablespoon of Pedialite every 10 minutes regiment over the next two hours, accepting the fluids, or we’d have to head to the Children’s ER for IV fluids to prevent dehydration. It was about that point that we realized we wouldn’t be participating in the Christmas program Sunday night at church (I was to sing in the choir, Jay was a reader).

Thankfully, we didn’t have to make the trip to the ER, as Jonathan finally held down the Pedialite. We were tired but exceedingly thankful. We settled him in bed around 9:30 p.m. and spent a couple hours just catching up on stuff, then Jay went up to check on both the older kids before we headed for bed. As he tucked Abigail in, she sat up and vomited in her bed. Jay, thinking quickly, used her two favorite blankets to catch most of the yuck (sparing most of her bed), then carried her into the bathroom and called for me. Unfortunately in the confusion he thought I’d gotten to her while he went back to the bed to perform triage. I did reach Abigail but as I tried to help turn her toward the toilet in case she were sick again she pushed away from my hands, yelled “NO!” and threw up on me, the bathroom floor, walls, shower curtain, you name it - she hit it. What a mess.
Read the rest of this entry »

November 21st, 2002 Sam’s Club?

Tonight Abigail and I went out to do a bit of shopping. I told her we were going to Sams Club and she seemed pretty excited, but then, she usually enjoys a trip to the grocery store. As we made our way through the store I could see a perplexed look on her face and finally she asked me rather impatiently, “Mommy, when are we going to see Sam Wyatt?”

Sam Wyatt Miller is one of our young friends from Mommy Swap almost exactly the same age as Jonathan. I knew he was a bright and focused little fellow, but I bet his parents will be surprised to hear he now has his own warehouse superstore! Way to go, Sam!

November 15th, 2002 Cliff Notes

A short story from Mommy Swap*.

All the kids were gathered around the table for snack time. As several of the kids (mostly 4 and 5) had recently learned the Lord’s Prayer, they each insisted on praying it, one after another. At the end, my son Jonathan (22 months) also insisted on praying. He said (as he often does at home), “Our Father, art in heaven, hallowed be thy name… Amen!” He then looked up at the Mommy standing next to him and explained, “Short one!”

* Mommy Swap is a group of 6 moms (Tricia included) who take turns watching each other’s children each Wednesday morning.

November 10th, 2002 A Week of Firsts

There have been several momentous events (well, momentous to us) in the last week so I thought it would be nice to spend a bit of time recounting each of our children’s latest achievements. Isn’t that something parents should do?? :)

Nicolas:
Our 4 month old enjoyed his first taste of cereal and so far seems to enjoy having “supper” with the rest of the family. He gulps down his Baby Rice very well for someone so young and we hope it may help him to get some needed extra calories. Nicolas smiles not only during his feedings, but through most of life in general. We say often around here that he is the happiest baby we’ve ever had the pleasure to know. His warm little smile is one of the most beautiful sights in the world. How thankful we are for this delightful little fellow and how blessed we feel to have the privilege of being his parents.

Jonathan:
Has just turned 22 months and for a while now has enjoyed “playing” at using the potty. He often makes the request to “Go potty” so I have indulged him and allowed him to sit even though he doesn’t ever really do anything. I figure it can’t hurt, it’s practice for the real thing, and at any rate, at least it is good exposure. Heh-heh!! One night this past week before his bath he asked to go and so, as usual I let him. However, this time we were rewarded with some liquid in the potty. How proud of himself he was. “I did it!!” he yelled over and over. I presented him with an M&M for his troubles. He has since used the potty twice more and though it could be many months I suppose before he is actually potty-trained, it is clear that he has made a connection now and we are all very excited and proud of him. And, no, we won’t post a pic of him on the potty!

Abigail:
Who has been wanting to see the dentist ever since the Barney episode about “tooth care” (Who says Barney isn’t a worthwhile diversion?) went to see “Dr. Bob”, a pedodontist on Friday. His real name is Robert Morgan for any of you in the DFW area who might be interested, and he comes highly recommended by several friends as well as our pediatrician, who takes his own kids to him. How grateful we are for wonderful doctors who specialize in children’s medicine. Dr. Bob had us into his office for an interview, gave me a business card with his home number on it (for emergencies) and obviously enjoys his work caring for children and their dental interests!
Dr. Bob seems to have a delightful bedside manner with kids. He spent time talking in his office with Abigail, and then she headed off for her dental adventure. To begin with, Abigail was given the choice of watching a movie, getting a balloon animal made, or playing with toys. Her first dental visit included getting her teeth brushed with chocolate toothpaste (hey, they didn’t have that flavor when I was a kid!), having pictures taken of her nose, cheeks and mouth (so she says), and taking home an alligator balloon animal.

November 8th, 2002 Steve Camp on Chevrolet Worship

Steve Camp has written an open letter to the church regarding the Chevrolet sponsored Come Together & Worship tour that is probably worth a read (link courtesy Scarecrow).

I am concerned that there exists in CCM today a pervasive growing attitude of unteachableness, unaccountability, and a lack of submissiveness to the Word of God and the authority of the local church. It seems today that anyone who challenges the CCM industry as to its current practices and alliances according to the standard of God’s Word is labeled as divisive, condemning, and unloving. While those that are constantly operating outside of the purview of God’s Word are labeled as innovative, visionary, and kind? Tolerance is not a spiritual gift; it is the distinguishing mark of postmodernism; and sadly, it has permeated the very fiber of Christianity. Why is it that those who have no biblical convictions or theology to govern and direct their actions are tolerated and the standard or truth of God’s Word rightly divided and applied is dismissed as extreme opinion or legalism?

November 7th, 2002 Mavs Stand Tall

For those of you who have followed basketball for more than the past few years, did you ever think you would see a headline like this? Mavericks NBA’s Only Unbeaten Team.

November 5th, 2002 Halloween

Here are a few photos from Halloween.

November 4th, 2002 Tricia versus the spider

There I was in a meeting with a couple VPs and several directors when Tricia called me on my mobile. I took the call and was about to whisper that I couldn’t talk when I notice she was hyperventilating. Turns out she was getting laundry out of the nursery when she came across a rather large version of the little brown spiders we get all the time. And instead of scampering away, apparently it was ready and willing to tangle with her (Tricia has asked that I clarify by stating that the spider reared up and waved its front two legs at her).

In the end, Tricia pulled back from the brink of panic and vanquished her worthy foe. With Raid. From a distance. When I got home, however, I discovered she was ready for most any contingency. Scattered around the room were a broom, a shoe, a flashlight, and several other plowshares serving as swords…

Anyone know what kind it is? Here is my best guess, though this is a better photo.

October 31st, 2002 Run DMC no more

This is just pathetic. Jam Master Jay was shot in the head last night while working in Run DMC’s recording studio. Though I never listened to much Run DMC, their music generally set a better tone than much of the junk produced in the modern rap scene.