A Mother's Heart

"Soon the days of your heart being housed in your own body will be over and you'll wonder how it manages to fit in that tiny little baby's hand." So true, isn't it? My friend Jennifer couldn't have said it better. It's amazing how such a tiny little baby can change your life and heart forever. Yes, the beginning was rough - well, rougher than rough, but I wouldn't change things for moment. It's part of her story - our family story - that aims right for the heart. She's a miracle and blessing such like all babies are. Her baby days are quickly fleeting with each passing moment, but how privileged I am that God allowed me to always be called her mother.

Laughter and the Image of God

You do not have to read many theology textbooks before discovering that the image of God is a fairly complicated concept. Most authors take up at least one of two conversations regarding the Imago Dei.

First, what is it? And, second, how can we confirm that it exists? If we can identify the existence of the Image of God, we cannot credibly deny the existence of Deity.

This leads me to my interest in confirming the existence of the Image of God. (I'll let you pick up Millard Erickson or Wayne Grudem if you want to get a primer on the "substance" of the Imago Dei). Obviously, this is not possible in the strictly empirical sense, but the evidence is much more striking than you might imagine.

When you think of all the things that make up what it is to be human, there are many things for which simple biology cannot account. Your DNA does not tell you why something is sad, or why a sunset is captivating, why rejection hurts, why true love is beyond amazing, or why you "just know" that Hitler was an evil man.

In recent years, some atheists have come up with some very lame ways to try to make biology account for non-genetically linked phenomena, while others stress that the non-genetic stuff of being human comes from their "environment."

While environment surely plays a role in shaping one's moral and aesthetic judgments, how much impact does environment play when we speak of a 4 month old?

That's right, a four-month old. This is a critically important question.

I have not told Elizabeth what is funny and what is not funny, but she has begun to laugh at funny things!

I didn't laugh first; I didn't teach her to laugh . . . she just began laughing and smiling and giggling like crazy one day when I began making my Donald Duck voice.

The question that the atheist must answer, and answer plainly is this, "Why is she laughing?" Her mother isn't encouraging her to laugh. I'm not encouraging her to laugh. I'm simply making a "funny" sound. Not smiling back at her, just a crazy Donald Duck sound.

Who told her that Donald Duck is funny? Could it be that God "told" her when He fashioned her in His image . . . that God thinks Donald Duck is pretty funny too?

Of course, this observation should alarm not only the atheist but the Deist as well. For if God is still in the business of making men and women in His image, He is not the distant, disinterested watchmaker who wound the world up and let it go.

Instead, he is a personal God. A God who forms people in His image is, by definition, a personal God. The God who enables us to laugh at things which are funny or marvel at things which are beautiful before anyone tells us we should is the same God who sent His Son. He is the same God who gave us His Word that we might know Him and worship Him in spirit and truth.

Do you know your Maker? He wants to know you.

Even in a baby's laughter, He is there.

Not as It Should Be

Elizabeth continues to teach me so many things. On Monday, we went to the doctor for her 2-month check-up. As it turns out, this is the time when they induce your baby to swallow a live virus and then introduce your baby to shots with a needle that seems far too long!

I don't think I will ever forget Elizabeth's cry this past Monday morning. It was unlike any cry she had during her first two months. The "hey I'm sleepy" cry and the "hey I'm hungry cry" were actually pretty subdued, pretty calm . . . not this cry. This was a cry of sheer pain and terror and confusion. In that moment, I think I experienced the most vivid illustration of the deleterious effects of sin that I've ever witnessed. For two months, Elizabeth had been jolly and full of life, but, on Monday, she learned that this world is not as it should be. In this world, there is pain . . . there is terror . . . there is confusion.

Why must my precious daughter have a virus pumped into her mouth and piercing needles driven into her thighs?

They do this because of sin. Yes, that's right . . . sin. Had Adam and Eve forsook sin long enough to have a baby in the Garden, we would read nothing about a regimen of shots for their baby. We would read nothing about sickness. There would be no sickness at all.

But sin, you see, is far more devastating than we first imagine. It's venom surprises us and reaches farther than we acknowledge. It doesn't just twist up our souls; it twists up creation. We are fallen until Christ redeems us, and creation is too - for creation is anxiously awaiting the day of Christ's return when it will be "set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God" (Rom 8:21).

Until that day, believers continue to live in the midst of a corrupted creation - a creation which still declares the glory of God but also poses innumerable dangers.

Elizabeth took a live virus into herself and then took the piercing needles in her thighs to kill its power over her. Jesus took our sins upon Himself and then took the piercing spikes to kill its power over those who trust in Him. One day, Jesus will return to cast sin and death into the everlasting Lake of Fire and gather together only those who have trusted in Him. At that moment, sin and death will have no power over the children of God, and the creation will again be free of the corruption of sin. The world is not as it should be, but it will be when our conquering King and Savior returns.

There will be no shots in heaven, only shouts of "Worthy is the Lamb!" as we forever consider the grace He extended to us in His nail-scarred hands.

Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus. Amen.

Jesus' Birth

Did you receive the e-mail asking you to petition Kohls because they were not saying "Merry Christmas" in their advertisements or in their stores? What about "Pet Smart?" I appreciate the need to engage in some social and cultural battles, but this "fight" has spiraled out of control. It now owns us.

The fight has consumed us as believers . . . we actually think we've won a battle for the Kingdom of God if we get a store to greet us with "Merry Christmas." Meanwhile, we ignore that "Christmas" has little to do with Jesus anymore. Instead, it means Santa Claus, reindeer, lights, silly blow-up decorations, competing with the Joneses, too many presents, a little extra time with family, and a few traditions tossed in - perhaps a courtesy visit to church before partying all night long the bring in the New Year the following week.

The time has come for us to say what we mean and mean what we say (James 5:12). We should not particularly care if someone greets us with "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays," but we should care to the core of our soul about where they will spend their eternity. How many people will we miss an opportunity to share the gospel with because we are more interested in lecturing them on why they should say Merry Christmas?! An entire industry has developed around the "Merry Christmas" controversy. You can buy magnets for your car, bumper stickers, T-shirts, buttons, and lots of other junk. Just what Christmas is all about - another item to buy! I wonder how many Christians own a piece of "Merry Christmas" merchandise but have never owned a gospel tract?

What would happen if we were moved to compassion for souls as Jesus was, regardless of how people greet us? What if instead of pretending that our "Merry Christmas" buttons are going to save someone, we took the time to explain why the birth of a baby boy in Bethlehem has radically changed our lives? What if instead of forwarding e-mails about the latest store that isn't saying Merry Christmas we took the time to write one e-mail to a friend or family member we know who needs to repent of their sins, place their faith in Jesus as Savior, and follow Him as Lord?

(By the way, Christmas comes from the Roman Catholic "Christ Mass" where Christ is believed to be sacrificed for sins and His grace literally communicated to the participants through the elements of the Lord's Supper. This is what millions of Americans mean when they say "Merry Christmas." There's nothing merry about that - for Jesus made sacrifice sins "once for all" (Hebrews 9:12; 10:10) and He will never again have to give up His life to save us.) Perhaps we could just call Christmas, "Jesus' Birthday" or "Incarnation Day" or "The Day the Word Dwelt Among Us."

It is time to break with tradition when it comes to doing Christmas. It is time for parents and grandparents to stop lying to their kids about Santa. It is time to stop buying into the argument that Christmas is about buying. Christmas is about WHO HAS BEEN GIVEN and the GREAT PRICE that HE PAID to RESCUE US FROM SIN. Christmas is all about the greatest purchase and the greatest gift ever made in all history! It is about a God who loved us enough to be born as a boy and to experience all the frailties of human life and to go all the way to the cross without sinning (Hebrews 4:15). It is about the gift of eternal life which is only available by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ the Lord.

So, about Pet Smart. If you were seriously planning to get your pet a Christmas gift, do yourself a favor and donate that money to this year's Lottie Moon Christmas Offering which supports over 5,100 SBC missionaries around the globe. Then go delete all those silly e-mails crowding your inbox and then take the time to share the gospel with someone in a meaningful way. Happy Birthday, Jesus!

Navigating the Unknown

Of all that we are tempted to fear, the unknown ranks rather highly on almost any one's list. Even the exceptionally wealthy tend to worry - they worry whether someone they trust with their money might undermine them, or whether a mistake made somewhere along the way will bring everything crashing down.

Ultimately, money cannot provide the cure for worry. Indeed, nothing that man can produce, generate, or manipulate can solve the sin of worry.

In recent days, I've found myself wondering what the future will hold for Elizabeth. Will she be a missionary in a country where there is little or no religious freedom? Will she be a scholar who makes a persuasive case for Christianity among non-Christian academicians? Will she be a lawyer who stands on the front lines of protecting Christians who are seeing their First-Amendment rights eroded at a disturbing and quickening pace? Will she be a wife to a devoted, Christian husband one day? Will she be a mother? What will her life be like?

At times, my curiosity regarding the future can leak into worry. For all the positive things that Elizabeth might do, there are equally threatening roads on which she might journey . . . .

What is a father to do?!? The culture seems more depraved than ever; people of the church are tolerating more and more paganism in their daily lives; and no one seems very excited about the gospel. Is it all hopeless? Why shouldn't I worry?!

The reason I should not worry is because God has given us a two-fold plan for marching boldly into the unknown: 1) obedience and 2) faith.

It's that simple. God places the primary responsibility of raising up godly children on the family. In Deuteronomy 6:4-8, we read, "Listen, Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One. Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." My former pastor at Providence, David Horner, put it this way, "the church cannot produce what the family neglects." In other words, you cannot expect a few hours at church every week to compensate for dozens of hours of spiritual neglect inside your home.

So, if I want to raise a godly daughter, I must first obey Him. I must be sure this is a house where Jesus is glorified and His Word is read. To date, Elizabeth has been through Colossians, Philippians, 1 Samuel 1-3, and Mark 1-4.

Secondly, I must trust God. This trust is expressed in two ways. First, I trust that God will not lead me astray with His commands; that when I obey - He is taking me down the right path one step at a time. He is the "light unto my path," but He does not always show me the whole path. Second, I simply have a quiet confidence in the Lord. I can look back and see how he has proven Himself faithful over and over again, and I know that He will fulfill His Word.

So, how do I raise this precious blessing from God? I'm going to take responsibility for training up Elizabeth in the Word, and I'm going to believe God with the intent that He receive all the glory from my parenting and from Elizabeth's life. God, may you be glorified in this house.

Gazing on the Father

In Psalm 27:4, King David declared, "I have asked one thing from the LORD; it is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, gazing on the beauty of the LORD and seeking [Him] in His temple (HCSB).

He says just a few verses later, "Lord, I will seek Your face" (v. 8b, HCSB).

The rest of this Psalm tells us that God is the Provider of salvation and Protector in the face of various trials for those who place their trust in Him.

So, what do God's salvation and His protection have to do with gazing upon His beauty and seeking His face? Can't we just be very clinical about our salvation, declare that it is, and move on? Why all this gushy gazing on the Father stuff?

Enter Elizabeth.

One of the earliest joys of fatherhood has been sitting with Elizabeth on my lap as she gazes up at my face and inspects it with a look of interest, amazement, respect, awe, and wonder all wrapped up into one package. She sits for rather extended periods of time and looks at me in such a way that I know she is deriving great satisfaction from simply looking at me.

One day, as Elizabeth sat looking at me in silent wonder, the Holy Spirit reminded me of Psalm 27 and gave me this thought, "when's the last time you gazed on your Father like that? When's the last time you looked on His face just because you wanted to know Him more, just because you wanted to know what He was thinking, and to somehow be able to tell Him how much you loved Him even in your helpless state? . . . When?"

Though she cannot articulate why she looks upon me with such an amazingly curious face, I'd like to suggest that my face has become a constant for her in a world that seems to change everyday - a sign of security, a sign of provision . . . of protection. When she's with her father (yes, her mother too!), she is kept warm, she is changed, she is put to sleep, she is fed, and etc. She may not remember yesterday's sleeping and feeding schedule, but she remembers her daddy, and when daddy is there - it's all going to be okay.

So, when is the last time you looked upon the Father like your life depended upon Him? Like you love Him? When is the last time you sat in quiet awe of the fact that the Holy God of the Universe smiles back on His children when they gaze upon Him? My heart swells with pride when Elizabeth gazes into My eyes, and the Father surely delights in His children who seek His face.

For those who are followers of Christ, we have constant access to the Father through our eternal mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ (Heb 10:19 - 20). No matter what life may bring, we can always gaze upon our Father . . . we can open His Holy Word and seek His face. There is no salvation and there is no protection worth having found anywhere else.

Lest anyone think I am suggesting that I will be as good a father to Elizabeth as the LORD, consider a comparison that David makes in verse 10. He writes, "Even if my father and mother abandon me, the LORD cares for me."

Elizabeth has her greatest earthly fan in her father and mother, but we look forward to the day that she truly gazes upon the Heavenly Father for the first of an infininte number of times as she calls upon His Son to save her for eternity and to deliver her from trouble.

In both the joys and trials of life, may we be quick to gaze upon the Father.

THE ABC SONG

From almost the time that Elizabeth was no bigger than the period at the end of this sentence, I've been singing the ABC's to Elizabeth as well as "Jesus Loves Me." While in utero, I always closed out the ABC song with something like this, "in XX more weeks you'll be here with Daa-dee."

Once Elizabeth arrived, I changed it up a bit and went with, "some day soon you'll be singing with Daa-dee." Well, yesterday, November 26 was "some day soon." Of course, she wasn't saying the letters, but she was clearly singing along with me, and it was such a hoot!

I just hope that she's taking some of this in and that we're as much fun for her as she is for us. Enjoy Elizabeth's first audition; she's more in tune than her dad.