Evan Update

Evan is six months old and as the pictures can attest he is picking all up kinds of new skills.  Evan enjoys grabbing the spoon when he's being fed. The trouble is he tries to either jab the spoon into his mouth or chew on it. Thank goodness for the rubber coating on the flat part of the spoon. Evan has been introduced to the sippy cup with water which he is so so about. He has even started trying to grab the bottle to feed himself. Evan can't quite handle the full bottles yet, but it doesn't stop him from trying. Most nights when I get up for the O-dawn:thirty feeding Evan has rolled himself from his back to his belly, and I've given up turning him over. Now he gets changed, fed, back to bed on his back, and by the time I get up early to study Evan has long since rolled over onto his belly again. Evan smiles now when Karen or I go into to get him up in the morning. This morning he smiled real big when I went into get him up, and then he smiled really big when Karen got up. Today was a nice change because of Good Friday. I didn't have to work today, but I got up early to study anyway. Because I didn't have to work I was able to give Karen a little break, and fed Evan breakfast this morning. Evan is recovering from a double ear infection so he's getting amoxicilan in his cereal in the morning. Nothing like pink cereal to get your day started, but Evan takes it well so it's not a real big deal. Just three more days of the antibiotic, and hopefully Evan will only have to worry about teething. Sorry to report there are no teeth yet, but his bottom row look so close we hope they'll break through any day now.

The Mountain

The Mountain

I found this on Yahoo this morning. I don't know why, but I've always looked at the sky and been awed by it's size and beauty. It's probably a direct result of growing up in tornado alley and watching for wall clouds why I mowed the lawn. Anyway, click on The Mountain to see a cool video showing the night sky video taped from a mountain top in Spain.

You Might Be Wrong

Before I came to seminary I had a lot of ideas about theology. I didn't know that's what it was called, but I had a lot of ideas. I also had a lot of things I was really confused about. What's the difference between justification and sanctification? Why do they matter? Stuff like that. Here are a few basic definitions to keep it simple.

Prevenient Grace: God is out to get you. He spent all of his anger for all the sins you and I have committed on His only Son, Jesus Christ. Now that the price has been paid, God is out to make us part of the family. God loves us. The price for our sin has been paid. God is calling us, and enabling us to accept God's grace and to become part of the family. We cannot accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior if God has not first given us the ability to do so.

Justification/Regneration: The moment we stop filling our eyes and ears with sin, the moment we stop trying to drown out the sound of the Holy Spirit, and listen for God's still small voice calling out to us. The moment our soul respond's to God's calls saying, "Abba, Father!" In that moment we are reborn and we are given the ability to resist our sinful nature.

Process of Sanctification: The race run to the end of our days to become more like Christ, and to cast off all of the sins we habitually commit in every waking breath. The purpose? To be fit for heaven. This is not a terrific example, but think of it as joining the military. Justification/Regeneration is like getting off the bus at boot camp. Your head is shaved, your clothes are sent home to Mommy, and the drill instructors set out to make you into a new person. Sometimes you're torn down, but all of the time you are in basic you are becoming stronger. Why? To be ready for what's ahead. What's ahead for Christians? Heaven. And Heaven is worth being in shape for.

Entire Sanctification: Entire sanctification is a qualitative change. You can no more earn, or build yourself into being entirely sanctified than you could earn your way to salvation. There should probably be another term to distinguish between the process of sanctification and entire sanctification. I've often been confused about the two. Entire Sanctification is like the change in the new birth except way better. If regeneration wipes away all of our past sin, and relieves us of the burden of guilt for those sins, entire sanctification takes away the stain of sin. - I think. To be honest. I'm still trying to work this one out.

I hope this helps.