Clever Quote

I'm trying to avoid politics on this blog (I'd rather participate in our community being changed one family at a time). However, I felt this quote was really clever:

[Hillary] called McCain and President Bush "two sides of the same coin and it doesn't amount to a whole lot of change."


Source: USA Today

Family & Ministry

One of the things I've been chewing on is the relationship between family and ministry. It seems that neither should be lacking the proper attention, and that they should not be competing. Now here's an interesting passage:

Then the LORD said to Isaiah, "Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and your son Shear-jashub, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool, on the highway to the fuller's field, and say to him, 'Take care and be calm, have no fear and do not be fainthearted because of these two stubs of smoldering firebrands, on account of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and the son of Remaliah.'"

Isaiah 7:3-4, NASB

So, God had Isaiah take his son along to meet the king? Interesting...

Trouble

This can only be trouble. Some students with too much time on their hands are working on a way to let your facial expressions control computers. Their example is a lecture - if you smile, it speeds up, if you frown, it slows down.

Using your face for remote control

Here's what's going to happen. You sit in the living room, watching the soccer game. In comes your wife. She sees what you're watching, and frowns. Click, now you're watching a soap opera.

Right Word for the Moment

Someone at Gospelcom's Verse of the Day must have known that today the final papers are due.

Isaiah 40:31
"But they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."

When Human Intelligence Would Serve You Better

We've been buying Pampers Baby-Dry diapers sizes 4 (Jo) and 5 (Ch and La) from Amazon.com . Since it's more than $25 a package (they are really big packages), you get free Super Saver shipping, making it actually cheaper than Wal-Mart, and certainly much more convenient (no full shopping cart; instead delivered to your door step). On top of that, we can combine one of these purchases with an item less than $25, and we still get the free shipping.

Today, the friendly people at Amazon.com thought they'd cut me a deal via e-mail:

Amazon.com recommends "Pampers Swaddlers, Size 2-3 (14-22 Lbs), Economy Plus Pack, 152 Swaddlers" and more

Hmm. How many people do you know whose children wear sizes 4 and 5, and who go for a deal on sizes 2-3?

Look at Me! You Disobeyed!

"And horse ... you obey!
You're a big horse!"

Shortly thereafter, the horse was put in timeout for disobeying.
It touched the CDs ... again.

A Word from the Lord?!?

Isaiah 8:1: Then the LORD said to me, "Take for yourself a large tablet."

The Progress of the Lord's Kingdom

When we calmly reflect upon the fact that the progress of our Lord's Kingdom is dependent upon prayer, it is sad to think that we give so little time to the holy exercise. Everything depends upon prayer, and yet we neglect it not only to our own spiritual hurt, but also to the delay and injury of our Lord's cause upon earth.

E. M. Bounds

He Will Give the Holy Spirit

"If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" (Luke 11:13, ESV)

Everything we hope to do stands or falls based on what God will do. There can be no true success without His work - He determines the direction, and He gives the strength to accomplish it. Does it sometimes seem like His hand is difficult to see, His voice hard to hear? Whatever things may seem to be like, His promise stands: how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!

Highchair Rennauto

Having finished a delicious supper, it is time for a ride. Our brother's highchair - the occupant still inside - becomes our race car. We sit side-by-side below Jo's high chair's legs on the floor, racing wildly, but we have forgotten our seatbelts. So La runs and gets them, and Ch runs and gets them. After imaginary seatbelts comes imaginary sunscreen. "You sit in Papi's seat, and that's Mommy's seat." That's what I get for letting Ly drive while I'm studying, Papi is now relegated to the passenger seat. Jo is protesting from high up above as his throne moves by an invisible force. Nonetheless, La declares, "He like to drive!"

Church Growth is Inevitable in a Healthy Church

Rick Warren maintains in "The Purpose-Driven Church" that growth is something God gives, and that our best strategy is to become a "healthy" church - a people that live for His purposes. Then, growth will come because God sends it.

While probably not intended to back up Warren's thesis, Henry and Richard Blackaby (Henry being the author of "Experiencing God") write in "Spiritual Leadership" (p. 126):

Certainly church growth is inevitable in a healthy church, as the Book of Acts clearly exemplifies.

Music in the 21st Century

On the way home from church, Ly tried to sing a new favorite of the girls'. Unfortunately, singing a song is not an approved way of enjoying music. La shouted from the backseat:

"Noooo. Play it in the computer."

Not using the record player.
Not using the cassette recorder.
Not using the CD player.
Music is what you listen to in the computer. You also "see the music" there. Turning off the computer screen is off-limits, because we see music (they are referring to the animated circles and dots and fireworks and stuff in Windows Media Player).

I think they got the computer thing from their mom.

P.S. We do sing, too, and enjoy it a lot. As a matter of fact, the girls sang a special in church with Vo the other day.

See Them Live

I really wasn't going to blog about soccer. Anyhow, I just found out that ESPN360 appears to make the games available live (for free!) across the Internet. While I'm at it, here's my forecast (wish list) for tomorrow's squad:

Jens Lehmann (VfB Stuttgart)

Philip Lahm (formerly VfB Stuttgart)
Christoph Metzelder (Real Madrid)
Per Mertesacker (Werder Bremen)
Marcell Jansen (Bayern Muenchen)

Clemens Fritz (Werder Bremen)
Michael Ballack (F. C. Chelsea)
Thorsten Frings (Werder Bremen)
Thomas Hitzlsperger (VfB Stuttgart)

Mario Gomez (VfB Stuttgart)
Miroslav Klose (Bayern Muenchen)

Not Enough Time

"You will never find time for anything. If you want time, you must make it."

Charles Bixton