the votes are in…

…for baby milkDodds #4.

 

We found out a little over a week ago that we are expecting another baby.  Our due date looks to be March 1st, 2010.  

As you can see, the kids all have their opinions as to what the baby (or babies, as Eliza hopes) should be.  In Eliza’s words, “We have too many girls in our family.”  So, she’s hoping for a couple boys to even things out (or tip the scales really).

Seth has reiterated now, many times, that he’s hoping for a little girl just like Elianna.  Because, “I like Elianna.”

And Elianna kind of mumbled “brother” when I asked her.  Then I said, “So you want a brother?”  And she said, “Yes.”  There you go.

Tom and I couldn’t be happier and are thankful that the Lord has seen fit to bless us with a child once again.  We know that this baby is a gift right from his hand.  A gift that He formed and breathed life into.  It was no accident or fluke, nor are any other babies formed in the secret place.

PSALM 139:13-16
“For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.”

We are praying for the health of the new baby growing in the womb, and, more importantly, we are praying that this baby comes to know God and His Son Jesus.  And that God will unmistakably lay His claim on this child’s life.

We pray that we will be able to say this to our new baby and all our children one day,

2 Timothy 3:15 “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”

Thanks be to God our Father who knows how to give good gifts to His children.

 

(Shameless idea theft from the Gammons Fam on how to share the news).

one purpose of suffering and calamity

I’ve been reading in Amos lately.

In chapter 4 verses 6-13 the writer recounts all the difficulties the Lord has sent to Israel in order to persuade them to return to the Lord.  But they don’t return.

Here’s a list of the calamities He sent them (minor in comparison with what was to come):

• cleanness of teeth and lack of bread 
• withheld the rain, no water
• struck with blight and mildew and locusts
• sent pestilence
• killed young men with the sword
• carried away horses
• made the stench of the camp go up to their nostrils
• overthrew some of them

And after each calamity it is reported, “‘yet you did not return to me,’ declares the Lord.”  

The ESV study bible notes these calamities as “patient appeals” by God that come before the largest calamity of all:

“Therefore I will do thus to you, O Israel;

because I will do this to you,

prepare to meet your God, O Israel!”

So what do the Israelites have to fear?  What is the huge calamity that the Lord was working to spare them from?  It is meeting God (which would come by way of the Assyrians obliterating them).  Meeting God is the greatest calamity in the world, for those who are in rebellion against Him.  And Israel was in rebellion.

I pray that this truth will give me some urgency in sharing the Gospel.

Not all calamities and sufferings are given for the specific cause of jerking us out of rebellion.  But I dare say that all calamities and suffering should have the effect of causing us to draw nearer to God.

So, I’m praying now, as things are good and blessings flow like water and honey in my life, that I’ll think now about how to respond when calamity comes.  That I’ll get a footing for the hard times that I may one day face.  

And that my footing will be in the Word and in Jesus Christ, the one Mediator between God and man, without whom, meeting my Maker would be more fearsome than any earthly calamity.

Randy Alcorn’s blog: a great find for biblical wisdom, esp. about finances

I’m so excited to have found Randy Alcorn’s blog.

He is the author of Money, Possessions and Eternity, a very influential book for Mr. TommyD and me.  I think that book, coupled with the “wartime lifestyle” preaching of our church, helped Mr. TommyD and I to set our financial priorities Godward early on in our marriage.  I recommend it to anyone needing a dose of Biblical truth regarding their perspective on finances and the kingdom of God.

I first read this Q & A article, Paying Down Debt and Giving, a couple weeks ago and I thought he handled it beautifully.  Here’s the gist of the dilemma faced by the questioner:

We have been counseled in a number of ways on this [meaning facing a large amount of debt]. One is that you continue giving SO THAT God will meet your need (which is much like the “prosperity gospel” and we believe the motive for giving is not right). Then we were taught that we need to be faithful, even if the budget is tight, to give at least 10%, and that that should be our FIRST check we make out each month (even if we know we won’t make our other bills) as evidence of the priority of God and His church in our lives. We’ve also heard it taught that since we’re in debt, our money is not our own so we need to work really hard to pay that back so that our money is freed to give back to God.

Mr. Alcorn responds with uncompromising truth from God’s Word that commands us always to give our first fruits to God, whether in debt or not.  Here’s his finally summary (although it’s worth reading the whole thing):

To change the direction of our lives we need to prayerfully make wise decisions, and nothing is wiser than giving first to God, cutting back our expenditures wherever we can, and systematically paying off our debts to others, having placed ourselves through our faithful giving under God’s blessing instead of His curse. I wish you the best as you experience the adventure of God’s faithful provision when you are committed to being His faithful steward.

It was a great reminder and encouragement to me, as was his post from yesterday called, How to Live Wisely Financially. 

So, whether you’re having financial trouble or not, his blog is sure to offer Biblical wisdom in many areas of life.  Check it out.

the rich young man and the widow’s mite

I listened to Pastor John’s message to the graduating seniors at Bethlehem, given a couple weeks ago. 

It was the title that caught me (simply, Remember the Rich Young Man) and I am glad I went ahead and listened to it.  I think it would be a good sermon to give to young marrieds, or mid-lifers.  Call it a course correction sermon, rather than a launching pad one.

If you want a vision cast for your life that values what’s valuable: CHRIST; and is able to let go of what’s not: money, listen to this message.  

At the end of this sermon I felt great fear.  Fear that money could be holding my affection in ways I’m not aware of, or in ways that I think I’m “over.”  I should be afraid to be rich.  Not that being rich is wrong.  But I think the quickness with which I understand wealth as reward rather than as a minefield of ego-puffing danger is revealing of my heart.

I’m thankful to have some great examples around me of what it’s like to have wealth without having a grasp on it.  One example is Pastor John, who takes no royalties or money from Desiring God ministry.  Another is a good friend and elder who owns successful businesses, but only takes a certain amount in income and gives the rest away.  

He also gives away his time in serving at the church; he works four days a week at “work” and devotes his other time to ministry.  Finally, my parents are a good example as they share all they have with others and are quick to give to let possessions pass through their hands.  

But the examples to the contrary are more numerous than can be counted.

 It is our whole culture.  Wealth is status; nice things are addicting, and Christians compete on these levels more than we could possibly recognize.  So, I’m thankful for Pastor John’s message.  I might just go get some sh-lack, a dollar bill and a piece of wood.  (That will make sense if you listen to it).

Here’s sermon jam with a related message:

And, finally, I got a “widow’s mite” sent to me in the mail.  It came to me with my homeschool curriculum.  It is to be a reminder of the sacrifice that a mother gives (meaning all she has, just like the poor widow) to instruct and love her children in the ways of the Lord.

I want to love and instruct my children in a way that makes Christ appear as valuable as He is.  And I am willing to give it all to that end.  I want to live all of life that way.  

Oh that I could bring glory to God in some small but significant way, I would have more than the richest man in the world and my widow’s mite would be multiplied a million times over.

three more from the middle of the night

Seth is doing much better today.  

Fever’s gone, thus far.  And for over 24 hrs, we’ve had none of the kind of sickness which I will not mention on this blog.  Can you say too much information?  That’s why I only allude to it as unmentionable.  Very subtle of me, eh?

Anyway, in his un-fevered state last night, Seth first awoke around 2pm to proclaim with boldness, “I really like my green plate and my blue plate.”  Followed by a desperate, “MOMMY, I really like my green plate and my blue plate!!!”  

This continued until I came into his room and said, “You do, Seth?”  And he said, “Yes,” with eyes barely open.  And went right back to sleep.  

Then around 4 or 5am, he asked, with urgency, “Is my bike in the garage?”  This time I sent Tom in.  

After Seth had repeated the question to Tom 5 or 6 times, with no meeting of the minds coming into view, I told Tom, “He wants to know if his bike is in the garage.”  (Tom’s Seth-to-English translator brakes from the hours of midnight to 6am).  

So, (after a translation intervention) Tom called out to Seth, “Yes, it is.”  And back to sleep he went or perhaps I should say, he continued on in his dream-filled sleep, now content that his bike was, indeed safe in the garage.

 Finally as Seth was waking up this morning around 7:30am, but still nodding off as he struggled to wake up, he asked with some worry, “Mom, where’d Bob go?”  Now this was a little bit harder.  Did he mean Bob the Pony (my parent’s new pony, to whom Seth is quite indifferent) or Bob the Builder (a favorite pbs character)?  

Hmm. I said, “I don’t know, Seth.”  But all was well as later, fully awake, he told me, “Bob had a broken house, but he can fix it.”  Well, that solves that. 

So, I guess the quotes weren’t all from the middle of the night.  But 7:30 felt like the middle of the night to Seth (and me), so it counts.

Here’s another pic of Seth, in his dreamy state.

quotable

We are wading through sickness at the Dodds’ home.

I’m finally recovering from the nasty bug, but Seth is in the thick of it.  He got up late this morning and decided he wanted some breakfast. I was a little unsure about his ability to keep it in, but agreed.  

So, he ate and drank; a good sign in my estimation.  But suddenly hit a wall and pushed his food away.  He laid down on his chair and said, “Mommy, Jesus made me berry berry tired.”  

So, I laid him down on the couch and he slept for a while.  

Now, he and Eliza are playing a game on the floor, as the laundry churns away, hopefully killing germs.  I’m wondering if perhaps I should put a mask and gloves on her.  She hasn’t gotten it.. yet.   

And besides, I wouldn’t want to become paranoid and OCD, uhh, too overprotective.  

And here’s a pic of Seth on a happier day than today.

an ipod for a Bible: yea or nay?

Tim Challies (with whom I often agree) wrote this article, “Don’t Take Your iPod to Church.”  

I’m having a hard time agreeing with his reasoning.  

He asserts that,

“the method we use to convey information is inseparable from the content of that information. And even more so, every medium carries with it both content but also a worldview. When we read the Bible electronically, we read the very same words, but in a way that influences us toward a different worldview, a different way of understanding the reality of those words.”

So, to recap, he is saying that reading the Bible electronically influences our worldview and even influences the way we interpret or understand the Bible.  

He sums it all up with this: 

“So where does this leave us?  It leaves us wondering what ideological bias, what predisposition, is carried in the book and in the electronic book.  It causes us to wonder what skill or attitude is amplified in the book and what skill or attitude is amplified in the iPod.”

As much as I love real books, (meaning printed-with-ink, pages-bound-together books) I just can’t agree with him.  At least not yet.  He promises to follow-up this article with another one next week offering (I hope) more logical and foundational reasons as to why the printed Bible is better than the e-Bible.**

The point of the Bible is the message it provides.  Not the medium by which the message is given.  Is the Bible less powerful in oral form?  Does it’s worldview change when read from a scroll?  

The power of the message of the Bible, cannot be in anyway subdued or watered down by the medium it is presented in.  It is the very power of God.  Printed ink on pages holds the precious message, as do spoken words, as do pixels on a screen, as do tablets of stone.  

Confusing preference and worldview is a bit dangerous.  The assertion that medium guides and influences worldview I could swallow if it were in regard to anything other than the Bible.  But the Bible contains God Himself, the glorious Gospel.  

It is a message that cannot be bound by medium.  No, it cannot even be influenced by medium.  If it is the unadulterated message and Word of God, medium is of no consequence.  That is the beauty and power of the Word.  

The worldview of the hearer is already in place when he is using an iPod to read God’s Word.  As is the worldview of the person reading it in ink.  

The medium doesn’t shape the worldview, it is an indicator of it.  

And the power of the Word of God reaches through that medium to radically transform both the worldview of the one reading pixels and the one reading ink.  Whether I read it on a screen or a page these words contain the same persuasive swaying power, “God demonstrated His love for us in this: while we were still sinners Christ died for us.”

So, as much as I love Challies’ blog, I’ll go ahead and say it: bring your ipod to church and let the Word of God in pixels transform your iPod-loving worldview.  And bring your printed bible to church and let the Word of God in ink transform your ink-loving worldview.  

The Word of God has the power to shape and change our worldview and will not be influenced by or secondary to pixels or paper or preferences.

**I am looking forward to hearing his next article on the topic.  I went ahead and responded to this first one because I had some foundational disagreements.  But I’m willing to listen and be open to his forthcoming arguments for the negatives of an ipod Bible in church.  I could agree that the ipod Bible might be distracting and would entertain not using it for that reason, but that isn’t the premise he’s working with.

What say you?  Do you read the Bible on your ipod or blackberry?  Do you think doing this has influenced your worldview in “understanding of the reality of those words”?

news and reviews 6/9/09

Plenty going on of late.  Enjoy.

Fighter verse song CD’s now available

The fighter verse song CD that my husband, Mr. TommyD, has been involved with producing and recording, are now available via Children Desiring God.  We got a copy early and I think I can sing almost every song (or verse) on there from memory, as can the kids.  It’s great.  Check it out.  

God’s Word is powerful (especially in the ESV).

Pixar’s Up Does Not Disappoint

We saw Up on Saturday, and I enjoyed it immensely.  How a kid’s film can poignantly, yet subtly, cover topics such as the beauty of marital life, the pain of infertility, the loneliness of the elderly, and the heartache of divorce, all while being good for kids and keeping it’s viewers feeling “up” and laughing is beyond me.  

It is a spark of genius.

An Ever-Present Teleprompter

NBC has some nerve making fun of President Obama’s use of the teleprompter.  Next thing we know, they’ll be asking him actual questions at those silly little press conferences.  Alright, alright, simmer down.  I’m just teasing a bit.  It’s not like his teleprompter has its own blog or anything.  Seriously though, watch this montage.  You’ll chuckle.

Buckle Up!

Wearing a seat belt has been the law in MN for quite some time, but until now, you couldn’t be pulled over for not wearing one.  Now, not wearing your seat belt is a primary offense in MN.  And an expensive one at that.  Get ready to shell out $105 buckeroos for this safety violation.  

As they say, click it or tick-et.

Must-read WORLD article by my Dad, Linked to by Challies!

I know I already told you about this, but hey, cut me some slack.  It’s my dad!  And it’s a great piece.  So if you haven’t read about life-loving doctors and their valiant stand against the culture of death, go do so.  And uber-blogger Tim Challies linked to it in his A La Carte section.

doctors and their fight against the death culture

I’m a big fan of WORLD magazine.  

I started reading it as a young teenager and have enjoyed and profited from it ever since.  

My dad (who blogs at mdviews) recently got an article published in WORLD, and I couldn’t be more excited about it!  My dad is an OB/GYN doctor and has been in the thick of the abortion issue for decades.  (Don’t worry, he’s not 90, only 56).  His (and my mom’s) stand for life has been very influential for me. 

He served on the board of Birthright, a Crisis Pregnancy Center, for many years.  And he’s never been ashamed of his pro-life views.  Quite the opposite.  He counsels women toward life.  

His article in WORLD is about the ever-increasing legal pressure being put on doctors to perform or refer for abortion and to provide euthanasia.  This is not new.  Although the pressure is mounting.

What is new to all of us non-doctors out here (and to be sure many doctors as well), is the formation of a band of physicians who agree to the Hippocratic Oath.  You may not know this, but doctors no longer take the Hippocratic Oath and they haven’t for quite some time.  

This new Registry of Hippocratic Doctors allows for doctors to differentiate themselves from the doctors of death (that is, unfortunately, many of them) and commit to protecting life in every circumstance.

Wouldn’t it be nice, as a patient, to know if your doctor embraced life as a virtue?  Wouldn’t you want to know beforehand that they were committed in everything to do no harm?  My dad outlines some of the key parts of the Hippocratic Oath that you’ll be very interested in. 

Go read it.  It’s definitely worth it.

what do you dream for your kids?

We all have hopes for our kids.  

Mine are very big and very small at the same time.

I want big things: that they will know God, love God, serve and worship God and His Son Jesus.

And on the smaller side, I want them just to be better than me.  I want them to master the things I’m not mastering.  I want them to be a better spouse, a better parent, a better person, than I am.  

The hardest and surest way to that happening is for me to be better than I am, by God’s grace.

And probably the majority of my parenting (75%?) is fear-based (mostly God-fearing, but some man-fearing too).  I parent to avoid what I don’t want them to be.  With fear and trembling I realize that without God’s grace and His strong tools of discipline, instruction, and love (ie their parents) my kids will be left to themselves and their sin nature.  

I want to keep parenting in fear (the Godly, right kind).  But I also want to dream great and Godly dreams for my kids.  I want to expect the best and be ready for God’s blessings in their lives.  He is a good God.  He gives good gifts to His children.  

It’s ok to eagerly hope for and expect God’s working in their lives.  And dream big dreams for them.

What are your fears and dreams for your kids?