What is God Like?

[Y]ou shall know [with an acquaintance and understanding based on and grounded in personal experience] that I am the Lord; for they shall not be put to shame who wait for, look for, hope for, and expect Me.

[A]ll flesh will know [with a knowledge grounded in personal experience] that I, the Lord, am your Savior and your Redeemer.

Isaiah 49:23, 26 (AMP)

What is God like?

He delivers those who trust in Him.

He saves out of deepest trouble.

Swearing In Ceremony

Gov. Palin's Swearing-In Ceremony (2006)

As I said, I'll try to stay out of politics. I did want to post this comment, though: I like the fact that the Bible used in Gov. Palin's 2006 swearing-in ceremony looks as if someone has actually been reading it.

Photo Credits: obtained from Associated Press via Wall Street Journal.

What is God Like?

Shout for joy, O heavens! And rejoice, O earth! Break forth into joyful shouting, O mountains! For the Lord has comforted His people And will have compassion on His afflicted.

Isaiah 49:13 (NASB)


Sing for joy, O heavens! Rejoice, O earth! Burst into song, O mountains! For the Lord has comforted his people and will have compassion on them in their suffering.

Isaiah 49:13 (NLT)

What is God like?

He comforts.

He has compassion.

His actions fill us with overflowing joy.

For Your Benefit...Pay Attention!

This is what the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel says: I am the Lord your God, who teaches you for your benefit, who leads you in the way you should go. If only you had paid attention to My commands. Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.

Isaiah 48:17-18 (HCSB)

Suppertime Prayer

"Jesus, help our food be in our tummy.
In Jesus' name, amen.
And our milk.
In Jesus' name, amen."

Ch.

Making Ethical Decisions

"You first have to ask what is right, and then ask what is possible - and in that order. Most people only ask what is possible and never deal with the other question. If you ask what is right, then what is possible, you will know what compromises are appropriate."

Stephen Covey

Is God Intricately Involved in World History?

How involved is God in history? Is he watching from a distance how things are going, as many people (often without saying it out loud) assume? Isaiah tells us a different story:

It is I who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited!’ And of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall be built.’ And I will raise up her ruins again. “It is I who says to the depth of the sea, ‘Be dried up!’ And I will make your rivers dry. “It is I who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd! And he will perform all My desire.’ And he declares of Jerusalem, ‘She will be built,’ And of the temple, ‘Your foundation will be laid.’ ”

Isaiah 44:26b-28 (NASB)

God here claims involvement in

• natural events (the sea, rivers going dry)
• political events (leaders coming to hold power)
• community/national events (rebuilding of the capital city, the temple)

Things don't just happen by chance. Note, however, that God's claim of power does not automatically mean the reverse - that everything that ever happens must have been willed by Him to be so.

Did God Create the World?

At times, I read or hear about people who believe that we can trust the Bible in general, but relegate Genesis 1 and 2 (creation story) to the status of myths. I usually respond that the entire remainder of the Bible is littered with references to these first two chapters that would be meaningless - even refuted - without the story of God's creation of the earth. Here's one example:

Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb, “I, the Lord, am the maker of all things, stretching out the heavens by Myself and spreading out the earth all alone[.]

Isaiah 44:24 (NASB)

The creation as described in the Bible may not make sense to the modern mind, but the Bible is clearly taking Genesis 1 and 2 as a fundamental assumption. Those who complain that "we're fighting over just two chapters" are ignoring that you cannot chop off those two chapters and still have an account with integrity. Creation is a Biblical concept you cannot get rid off - and neither should you.

God's Word in Different Media

As I was reading my Bible, a random thought struck me. I was using Logos, and the text was nice and large, and scrolls forever to the top and bottom. I realized that I had no sense of how much space the portion I read would take up in a "normal" Bible, and I thought how that would be very upsetting to some people. Making the transition from print to digital makes Bible reading just not the same thing! Turns out that the "normal" Bible we are used to is obviously quite far from the original scriptures. They had no chapter or other headings, bold print or italics, not even chapters or verses, for the most parts no book titles like we have today, and most importantly, they came on scrolls. So all of you paper-lovers: those of us who like to read their Bible on the computer aren't really any further from the original way than y'all!

So, there.

Children Who are Mighty in Spirit

As I was in prayer today, I brought our children and our friends' children yet again before God, asking Him that they would become His children as soon as possible, and live their lives for His purposes. I am more than ever convinced that nothing could be more important for them. My study of 1 John has confirmed that the difference between succeeding in life is whether or not the Holy Spirit is guiding and enabling us. Without His power, all the best training is useless (= will not be used) because in our own strength we are unable. Then, the following verses struck me:

For I will pour out water on the thirsty land and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring and My blessing on your descendants; and they will spring up among the grass like poplars by streams of water.

Isaiah 44:3-4

As I looked up poplars in Merriam-Webster, they pointed out that a defining characteristic of poplars is that they grow up quickly. May that be the case for our children!

What a wonderful promise to claim: "I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring."

Singing Over Breakfast

I'm staying home with the kids today, so Ly can go shopping. It'll be a fun day.

Somehow, over breakfast we got to the Wiggles' "Calling All Cows." I sang it intentionally with the wrong tune, which repeatedly got Ch, and then also La, to call out, "Noooo! Calling all cows!" which meant I should use the right tune. After several unsuccessful attempts to get their daddy to behave, La finally declared in exasperation, "Just eat your french toast!"

Car Window Shopping III

Granted, this is the one I really want...

It's Been A Long, Long Time

Last Friday, I had lived in our home longer than anywhere else in my life. I've lived in this area twice as long as anywhere else ever. And on Wednesday of this week, we celebrated the six year anniversary of moving in. One day, we'll be driving into town to visit the grandparents, or check by the church, and we'll go through our neighborhood to see the place where we used to live - our "first home" - where all the kids spent their first years... .

Evening Snack Conversation

I was sitting in Ly's seat at the table during evening snack time, across from Ch, with La to my left and Ch's right.

Ch (in a deep, slow voice, as there are two pieces of honey graham left on her plate): "I'm all done."
Me (similarly deep voice): "Iss mal auf." ("Let's eat it up," i.e., "why don't you go ahead and finish that.")
Ch (with a smile and a deep voice): "I'm all done."
Me (deeper): "Iss mal auf."
Ch (with yet another smile, and yet a deeper voice): "I'm all done."
Me (returning the smile, but the deepest and slowest yet): "Iss mal auf."

La: "Guuuuyyyyyyyys! Stop fighting!"

Car Window Shopping II

Toyota Highlander 2008. The Highlander comes with 7 seats standard (Hybrid [not limited] has it as an option package), making it a competitor to a minivan for us.

After the Sienna, we tried out a Highlander, though there were no hybrids around since they are selling like hotcakes. While this speaks for their appeal, it also means that there'll be little room to improve the price. As a matter of fact, we'd likely order one from the catalog, and then wait to get it. The Highlander improved remarkably on the Sienna's pickup when the light turns green. However, both at 40 and at 50 mph, you had to push the gas pedal a good deal to make it pick up speed quickly, which took you to higher RPMs. The brake had a little wiggle room before it would break hard, which would allow you to slow very gradually.

The large turn knobs are a sound technician's dreamland. The center console really got me.

I love the Highlander's center console. Two turn knobs allow you to set the temperature for either of the front seats separately. It's full of fun buttons, and the AUX input is near the ground, so you don't have cables hanging all over the car. One elegant package. There weren't as many cupholders as in the Sienna, though I think there were still plenty.

The backup camera is great to see how close you are to the car behind you, though you should use your mirrors for the cars next to you.

My first experience with a backup camera was "I want one of those." Fortunately, it would be an option on the Sienna, too. One thing I didn't like at all was that the frame of the car is so big on the inside that you can't see out the back left window from the driver's seat - the frame obstructs it. I know, I know, I shouldn't be turning around that far anyway. Still, I'd like to be able to see out wherever I desire to.

The speedometer is not in the center, and some evil spirit made them put it into weird pipes.

I didn't care for the speedometer being off-center, and in weird pipes. It's plain hard to see what's going on - what were they thinking? While the center console and the controls for the second row were very nice, the remainder of the vehicle was not as luxurious as I had expected. Some parts looked almost cheap, which at a price of $35,000 (hybrid) seemed odd to me. Once again, though, it'll be easier to clean, and we're not really after luxury.

Unfortunately, the Highlander had zero space behind the back row. Ly claimed, you couldn't even get a diaper bag in there, and you certainly wouldn't fit a lot more. The seats did not fold as flat at the Sienna, and the backrow appeared to have a good deal less legroom. The space from floor to seat surface was very short, which could make a long ride quite uncomfortable. Finally, I do think the Highlander comes with a proper spare.

Conclusion: All in all, I loved the feel of the Highlander, and its driving. I was underwhelmed by the interior, and the total lack of luggage space when transporting 7 passengers is shocking. 27 mpg is obviously vastly nicer than 17 mpg, but is it enough to pay $10,000 more?

Photos copyright Toyota.

Car Window Shopping

A week ago, Ly and I went for a different kind of date. We went to our local Toyota dealer and test-drove two vehicles: a Highlander and a Sienna. If we ever have to transport more than the five of us, we'd need something bigger than our Camry, so we decided to check out the options. We drove a 2008 Highlander Sport and a Sienna LE. Following are some of my observations.

Toyota Sienna 2008. Palm trees would be the way to sell me on a car.

My first experience with the Sienna was that a minivan drove just as I had feared: it accelerates about as quickly as a Galapagos turtle when the light turns green. You can overcome that by pushing the gas pedal a little more, but now we're talking 5000 RPM. Not good for your gas mileage, which is already only 17 mpg. Generally, the 266 hp were a good package. The van was a little more luxurious than I had expected. Personally, I can do without the automatic sliding doors and trunk, though the salesman claimed you could do it by hand regardless. The all-wheel drive versions come with run-flat tires, and therefore don't have a spare. That's nice if you're in a bad neighborhood, but I'm skeptical what it'll mean when you have to buy new tires. Since there's no place to put a spare, you'd be unwise to just change to regulars. The two-wheel drive apparently doesn't have a full-size spare.

The center console isn't much to write home about,
but what are you asking for?

I liked the fact that the stereo took WMA and MP3 CDs, as well as the auxiliary input (MP3 player, etc.), though its placement was a little odd (high up on the right - where do you put the MP3 player?). The center console wasn't much to write home about, though. There was adequate air conditioning, and plenty of cupholders. Ly really liked the fact that you can fold away the center area between the seats, so she can put her purse there. As you can expect, that's not a big deal to me. ;-)

These seats are not removed, they are folded down!




Even with all seats used, there is still luggage space

I loved the trunk area. You can fold the back row into the floor, and the second row collapse so low as well that you basically have flat surface with a lot of space if you have to haul something. Most versions appear to come with a roof rack, and you could set your van up to be able to tow some weight. Nonetheless, even with all seats up, you have trunk storage not much below the Camry, though vertical rather than horizontal. The Sienna costs about $25,000 new, and there are plenty of older versions of the current model (back to 2004), which can be had as low as $12,500 (Kelley Blue Book).

Conclusion: it's not my dream car, but it can probably do the job. It has the extra umph when it is needed. It's clearly family-friendly, and "not so fancy" tends to translate into "easier to clean." All in all, it was better than I had feared.



I'll follow up with the Highlander review later. Photos copyright Toyota.

See Me in Tulsa October 23rd

I think I'll be in Tulsa, OK on October 23rd.

The Significance of Followers

John Maxwell said (or did he just parrot it?), "Everything stands and falls on leadership."

I do believe that he is right about that. However, note that leadership is only part of the formula. If you take out the "Everything," you have lost - everything!

So, let's stay humble about leadership roles God calls us to.