Russel D. Moore provides these funny (and accurate) definitions of the many types of evangelical:

“If John Mark is right that an evangelical is “a fundamentalist who watches The Office,” then I’m written out of the definition since I’ve never seen the show. But, still, I think he’s on to something. Here’s an alternative try.

An evangelical is a fundamentalist whose kids dress up for Halloween.

A conservative evangelical is a fundamentalist whose kids dress up for the church’s “Fall Festival.”

A confessional evangelical is a fundamentalist whose kids dress up for “Reformation Day.”

An emerging evangelical is a fundamentalist who has no kids, but who dresses up for Halloween anyway.

A revivalist evangelical is a fundamentalist whose kids dress up as demons for the church’s “Judgment House” community evangelism outreach.

A fundamentalist is a fundamentalist whose kids hand out gospel tracts to all those mentioned above.”

A couple years of my growing up, we fell into the “conservative evangelical” to “revivalist evangelical” range.  We dressed up for our  church’s “unhaunted house.”  Many kids dressed up as Bible characters.  It was an outreach to the community as well as a way for Christians to still have fun and do a few scary things on Halloween without feeling (too) guilty.

Most years, however, we just stayed home, had friends over, ate popcorn and watched a movie.

With young kids of our own, we haven’t celebrated Halloween.  Not a judgment on people who do, it’s just where we’ve come down.  We did talk about Reformation Day last year though, although no one dressed up.  I like having the kids dress up.  They do it so often, it hardly seems like depriving them not to do it on Halloween.

See, here’s one-year-old Elianna dressed up in full costume.

I realize most people think I’m being a big stick in the mud and I’m ok with that.  My kids (and I) get plenty of fun and neighbor interaction in their lives.  They can do without it on one night of the year.  We have our reasons, and that’s enough for me.

But, back to the point, what kind of evangelical are you?  Elianna obviously ascribes to the ever popular cowboy evangelism.

Well, as most of you know, I’m now an “official” homeschool mom.

Whoa.

Even though I’m very familiar with homeschooling and know lots and lots (and lots!) of people who do it, I still feel very intimidated by the task and frequently question our decision to homeschool.

And, if you know me at all, you know that I’m the anti-crafty lady.  Crafts run away when they hear me coming.  They know I’ll butcher them and they will end up in the trash.  As much as I try to like scrapbooking, (and have heard-tell of the joy of scrapbooking retreats) it is my arch nemesis.

Cutting, pasting, finagling: I’m no good. (I do like to color, however.)

So, I can’t help but laugh when I see pictures of the science project (read: glorified craft) the kids and I did last week.  They loved it.  And I loved that they loved it.  Even though cutting that cardboard was some form of hand-in-scissor torture.

Now, my sweet Eliza could do crafts all day.  And she is slowly helping to redeem the craft cynical side of me.

She and Seth watched with great anticipation as we took our homemade weathervane out to the front sidewalk.  We set it on the ground and held our breaths.

Apparently the wind was holding its breath too.  Barely a breeze to be felt.  Finally someone must have exhaled strongly enough to cause the weathervane’s arrow to wiggle and look as though it might spin. Squeals of delight abounded.

So, with a weathervane under our collective belt, I now dub us a real homeschool family.  Which makes me a real homeschool mom. (OK, OK, enough snickering).  But seriously, what have I gotten myself into?!!

James 1: 2-4 have always been favorite verses of mine.  

Also, Lamentations 3: 21-27 are frequently in mind. 

Along with John 10:27-30; those bring continual comfort and rest.

Do you have a favorite passage?  Or, if “favorite” isn’t the right word, how about one that is especially meaningful to you recently?

I found this humorous video about life verses..  enjoy.

And here are the actual texts, for my (and your) benefit:

James 1:2-4

Count it all joy, my brothers, [2] when you meet trials f of various kinds, 3 for you know that g the testing of your faith h produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be i perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Lamentations 3:21-27

But this I call to mind,
and k therefore I have hope:

22 l The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; [2]
l his mercies never come to an end;
23 they are new m every morning;
n great is your faithfulness.
24 o “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
k “therefore I will hope in him.”

25 The Lord is good to those who p wait for him,
to the soul who seeks him.
26 q It is good that one should wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.
27 r It is good for a man that he bear
the yoke s in his youth.

John 10:27-30

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 o I give them eternal life, and p they will never perish, and q no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, r who has given them to me, [1] s is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of t the Father’s hand. 30 u I and the Father are one.”

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”?

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?