"However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace." Acts 20:24
This past weekend, Granddad Craig and Granny Sandy got to come for a visit! If you remember, they had to cancel a few weeks back, so this trip has been long expected. :) They were both able to take Friday off from work, so they left out on Thursday evening. They split the trip up in half both ways (coming and going), so they arrived on Friday around lunch, and they left on Saturday in the early evening (to arrive home early afternoon on Sunday). We really enjoyed their company, and I even have a few photos to prove it. ;)
Hugh and Enoch showed them around our neighborhood once the sun had gone down a bit on Friday.
And that evening, we all enjoyed a fun game of Uno.
And of course, there was lots of playing time!
We also took them on a tour of campus and stopped off at the Chapel of Memories to take some pics and explore a bit (click the link to read about the cool story behind its construction).
After parking, we noticed this sign. Apparently there had been a wedding in the chapel earlier that day. We've heard that it's a popular place for weddings, and after having seen it, I totally understand why! It was beautiful, and I really appreciated the details in the architecture of the chapel.
And then we simply had to check out the landscaping near the bell tower. It was quite beautiful with the fountain and huge ferns!
And of course, no tour is complete without the "family" pose. :)
I thought it was time for me to upload some other photos of our new home since we are feeling more settled. Now granted, we still have quite a bit of hanging to do (pictures, decor, etc.), so please ignore the blank walls... but nonetheless, enjoy the tour with your world-renowned tour guide - Enoch!
This is Daddy's office where he works when he's at home.
And this is the big, comfy bed where all of our guests sleep when they come to visit me.
Here is Mommy and Daddy's bed. I just love playing on it because it's so big and soft!
And this is the other half of their room where they store all of their things.
This is my room (even though Mommy and Daddy call it the "baby room").
And this is the other half of my room where all of my stuff is stored.
This is our huge living room... I play in here a lot!
And our nice spacious dining room where we like to let other people eat with us.
Well, I hope you enjoyed the tour! I didn't photograph the bathrooms, kitchen, or laundry/entryway because those pretty much look the same and not a ton has happened in there as far as decor goes besides the essentials (which really isn't decor...).
Once again, we'll also just put out there that we love having all of our extra space for hosting people, and we'd love for you to come visit!!
This is just a reminder that August is approaching quickly! If you are hoping to read "What is the Gospel" with me (which I am hoping you are), then you need to procure your copy asap (check out Amazon or your local bookstore)! The author is Greg Gilbert, and it's a short, easy, even humorous read. Check out my other post about it here for more information about the book.
Like I explained before, I hope to read through one chapter per week starting at the beginning of August (it's only 8 chapters long, a whopping 121 pages). Each week, I'll be blogging about the chapter we read, and I'll invite you to join in via commenting on my blog or even writing your own blog post (or emailing/calling me if you're a more private person). I plan to shoot for having the post up on Wednesday each week... and, since August begins on a Wednesday, I'll start with the first post on Aug. 1st. This should put us finishing up the book at the end of September.
So, if you're reading along with me, let's read the Introduction by Wednesday the 1st. It's about the same length as a normal chapter (roughly 10 pages), and it really sets a good foundation for why Gilbert wrote the book. And if you want to read along but are still waiting on your book, catching up won't be a problem since we're only covering the intro this week. :)
To help you get a grasp of what the book will cover, here is the list of chapters:
Inroduction 1. Finding the Gospel in the Bible 2. God the Righteous Creator 3. Man the Sinner 4. Jesus Christ the Savior 5. Response - Faith and Repentance 6. The Kingdom 7. Keeping the Cross at the Center 8. The Power of the Gospel
I sincerely hope you will consider joining me. I have a few people already on board, and I know there are a few of you who are still considering it... :)
Christine Hoover: Too often ... we treasure the home more than we treasure Christ. As a result, what He has given as a blessing and an avenue of sanctification becomes a means of achievement or accomplishment, where our well-behaved children or our organizational abilities are an indication of our value and our righteousness... If we treasure our home as our righteousness, we subtly teach our children that behavior matters more than the attitudes of the heart, that a clean home matters more than relationships, that we are superior to others, or that we must cling to and control the things we love rather than trust God with them... When Christ is our treasure, our homes consist of love, grace, and utter dependence on the Holy Spirit. We don’t chase self-righteousness, and we don’t cling to treasures that, despite all their goodness, can still be lost. We cling tightly to the only Treasure that cannot be stolen or tarnished, Christ Himself.
This comes from a helpful post by Christine Hoover on the Desiring God Blog from almost a month back now (that's how slow I am to re-post things...) -- "Christ is our treasure, not our homes". (Check out the rest of what she says by clicking the link in the previous sentence.) Christine also blogs over at GraceCoversMe.Com.
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)
Well, Enoch and I went in for his 9 month check up a few days ago (and to get him his 3rd Hep B vaccination). The pediatrician we visited was nice and helpful, but she was slightly concerned with Enoch's weight.
If you remember, at his 6 month check up, Enoch had lost around 1 lb, putting him around 17.5 lbs. The doc in Arkansas thought this probably wasn't a big deal (he talked a little about some kind of weight phenomenon that usually happens with exclusively breast-fed babies around 6-9 mos. So he suggested doing a weight check after a month to see how Enoch was progressing. When we came back for the weight check, Enoch hadn't really lost or gained any weight. He was pretty much the same. So the doctor asked lots of questions and then advised us not to change too much (like waking him up in the night to eat). He gave us some papers to give to our new pediatrician and said that giving it some time would be helpful to see what was really going on.
So, when we met with this new pediatrician, I gave her all of those papers (they mainly had stats on them). She also asked lots of questions. It turned out that Enoch was still pretty much the same weight, but now he is in the 10th percentile (when he was 3 mos, he was above the 100th percentile and at 6 mos, I believe he was still like 75th.). And the fact that he's still not crawling was not all that reassuring to her either. So, she advised us to increase his intake of solids (fruit/veggies/cereal) for a month and see if that works. She also (like the other doc) advised us not to wake him up to feed him IF we feel like the increased solids are helping. She suggested that if after a few weeks we feel like increasing the solids is not doing the job, then we should try to sneak in one more nursing session a day, to round it up to 5 per day. (She said that at this age, a baby needs 26 oz of breastmilk per day.) And lastly, she told us to schedule a follow-up appointment in a month. It sounds like if he's still not gaining weight by then that there could be an actual issue, and so they would do some blood work and take a stool sample (and maybe even a breastmilk sample??) to see what's going on in his body.
Now, honestly, I'm not too concerned about Enoch crawling. I've heard from lots of other moms and grandmas that every baby is different and that crawling/walking comes really fast for some and incredibly slow for others. BUT, we do want to be sure that if there's something truly wrong with Enoch's digestive system (or something else that's keeping him from gaining weight) that we figure it out asap. So, we've increased the solids (8-12 oz per day + 1/4-1/2 cup Cheerios), and we've even changed our schedule some, which kind of just happened... we really didn't force it, but it's working out great!!
What happened with the schedule change is that we had dinner plans the night of the doc appt, so we stayed out til 6:15, and when we got home, I nursed Enoch again (which I always do if I keep him up past bedtime because he's using more calories... right?) and then laid him down around 7 pm. Well, the next day, Little Man had two incredibly solid naps, I'm talking 2+ hours each!! So, by the time I got ready to nurse him the 4th time, it was already 5 (not 4:30), and so by dinner time, he was still doing great and not fussy/tired. So we decided we'd let him "eat" dinner with us (meaning he ate Cheerios while we ate salmon.. poor guy!) And then I nursed him after dinner and put him to bed, again around 7. Well, the same thing happened yesterday, and Enoch's really doing well with the slight schedule change. (In case you're wondering, he's not sleeping in any later than usual, in fact his tendency now is to wake up between 6 & 6:30, but that's alright.)
Now, if you're prone to worrying like I sometimes am, take this opportunity to trust fully in God's provision for our son (or for anything else for that matter). Pray to Him, acknowledging that He is the holy, almighty Creator, the One who sovereignly and perfectly knits babies together in their mother's wombs. He knows fully well what is going on with Enoch right now, and He has a purpose in all things. We're hoping that adding in that 5th nursing will boost his weight gain, but no matter what, we are choosing to rest in God, instead of worrying (although we are taking it seriously), and we would invite you to join us.
And for those of you who are still reading, while we were at the doc office, I got a cute video of Enoch's most recent new sound - a clicking sound! (There were stickers on the wall above him, so that's what he's looking at when he looks up at the wall, in case you were wondering.)
Happy Belated Cow Appreciation Day!! As you can see, Enoch and I decided to celebrate this year by dressing up as cows. :) Well, honestly we dressed up like cows to get free chicken, not really to celebrate, but the people at Chick-Fil-A (CFA) certainly didn't care what our motivation was. That's right, if you dress up like a cow on Cow Appreciation Day AND go to your local CFA, they will give you free chicken!
Now, I should stop for a second and admit that I actually forgot about this all important day until my best friend reminded me on the phone. Thankfully, she and her baby were going to go and eat free chicken too, so she couldn't help but share the exciting news with me. :) So, thanks to that sweet friend, Enoch and I also ventured out in our best black-spotted outfits. And of course, we got plenty of pictures to share with you!!
Now, here's the secret about free chicken day Cow Appreciation Day at CFA, if you only wear one cow related item, they will gladly give you one free entree, BUT if you dress "head to toe" in cow gear, you can get a FREE MEAL!! Now some people go all out for this and actually sew cow costumes, but we obviously didn't have that much time... So we did the next best thing- we sharpied (is that even a verb??) on old shirts. :)
But, remember, having a spotted shirt will only get you a free entree. So since we don't mess around when it comes to free food, we went all out and made cow headbands too (made from an old shirt sleeve). Then I donned some black shorts. To finish off the outfit, I wore one black sock and one white sock under my brown sandals (which I NEVER do in public). :) This was how we looked before leaving the house.
I was amazed at the HUGE turn-out at CFA because Starkville has only had a CFA in town for one day (if you don't count the one on campus in the union, which I do NOT count). That's right! Only one day!! They had campers camping out all night just a few nights before! But when we parked, I quickly noticed that no one else in the crowd who was going or coming was wearing any cow gear, let alone dressed head to toe. I'll admit, this intimidated me a bit. I was a little nervous that since this was a new CFA they might not be celebrating with free chicken... surely if they were, everyone else would be wearing their black spots too, right???
Well, thankfully, no. Enoch and I gathered our guts, and marched right into CFA with our black spots and mis-matched socks, and we were greeted with cheers and cowbells (which scared Enoch for a minute or two). As always, all of the CFA staff were so nice, and we scored 2 free entrees (one was a kids meal)!!! And Enoch got a cow toy... can't beat that! On our way out the door, we ran into some friends who were sitting down to eat, so Enoch and I joined them for a few minutes and then took our loot back home to our hungry Daddy (he was too busy to dress like a cow, so that's why there are no papa cows in the photos).
This was definitely one of the highlights of last week, and we will be celebrating Cow Appreciation Day next year too! (I think it will be kind of fun to do after we have a lot of kids... then I'll have a whole herd of cows to follow me into CFA!!) :-D
I just wanted to write a short post and invite you to read through and discuss a book with me!! You see, my thought is that reading together (no matter how far apart we may actually be) will bring about good fodder for discussion and in some ways make the distance seem more insignificant. In fact, I'm hoping that you'll enjoy this so much that you'll quite possibly even buy into reading more than one book with me... I mean this book reading mania could just go on and on to infinity and beyond!!
Anyway, before I get too carried away, let me explain more of the idea: It's my intention to give you enough heads up for you to get your hands on each book well before I start reading! My plan is to go through books that would be interesting for anyone and at a slow enough pace that even the busiest of people can keep up. So, whether you're a part of my family, a friend, or even just a passerby, I'd love for you to join the adventure! :)
The first book that I plan to read and blog through is "What is the Gospel" by Greg Gilbert. This was one of my favorite reads from last year, and I am excited to read through it again (yes, it was that good!). I know that I've given a copy of this to a few of my close family/friends, but if you don't have a copy yet, I have one extra one sitting in my house with your name on it. Just contact me and I'll send it your way. :) If you'd prefer to buy one, check out Amazon or your local book store.
I hope to read through one chapter per week starting at the beginning of August (it's only 8 chapters long, a whopping 121 pages). I'll blog each week about what I read, and I'd love to hear your thoughts too and engage in some edifying discussion!! You can join in via a comment on my post with your thoughts or with a link to a post that you've written on your own blog about the chapter.
Please consider accepting my invitation and joining me in this! It's going to be oh-so-fun, and it's a great way for the distance between us to feel much smaller!! Go buy your book NOW!! Don't procrastinate, or else you won't get it in time...
Gilbert's answer to the question "what is the gospel?" will undoubtedly benefit you no matter where you are at spiritually. And just to entice you even more, here is a sneak peek at what the author had to say about his book:
This has been a pretty routine week for us. Enoch has done a few new things, which are documented below. He has also been having some teething pain, which has made his sleep a little sketchy, so we hope his new teeth will come in soon (or that whatever else is bothering him will be resolved)!
The highlight of my week was Cow Appreciation Day (photos coming soon). The low-light (that's not really a word...) of the week was finding out that Granddad Craig and Granny Sandy had to postpone their trip to see us. :( Not sure when they will be coming now, but we are excited to have them visit asap (which I know they're excited to do)!
And speaking of visiting, our guest room is officially up and running, so if any of you other family & friends have an itch to visit Mississippi, we'd be happy to host you!!! Just shoot me an email or phone call and we can set up the details. :)
Enoch was able to eat his first "chunks" of banana this week (as opposed to mashed/pureed foods), so that was pretty exciting! He's doing great chewing the pieces of soft fruit (and he kind of chews his Cheerios too), so we may start introducing more soft chunks soon. :)
This is one of Enoch's newest sounds. He just started making it this week, and so far he does it all the time! In fact, if he hears one of us doing it, he will usually start. {Funny side note, when I was writing this post, I reviewed this video while sitting next to Enoch, and when he heard himself on the video making the new noise, he began making it beside me. how cute is that!!?!!}
And this is just a video of one of our normal playing sessions. I usually let him play by himself once or twice a day for 10-20 minutes. (I'm always in the room with him, usually sitting next to him reading, but I try not to engage him too much so that he is learning to play by himself.) He does a really good job at entertaining himself! **Note: This is an extremely LONG video, mainly for the family members who can't see Enoch very often, so others of you may wish to skip it (or just cut it off when you get bored). He also makes his new sound again on this one around the 3:15 marker.**
Well, for those of you not following the weather in NE Mississippi, I can summarize what it's been like with one word, and you might be able to guess what it is from this post's title: RAIN. haha!
It is truly a blessing from the Lord because everything here was SO incredibly dry last week, so even though we are a little wet, we are rejoicing in God's provision, since He alone is able to control this gift.
For the past few days, there has been 3-6 hours of steady, ground-soaking rain each day. Today though, there was about 4 hours of heavy rain. Not like the torrential rain where your windshield wipers can't possibly keep up, but just a heavy rain. However, since we have been getting so much rain already, the ground is saturated, and this heavy rain caused a bit of flash flooding today near our house.
Enoch and I were home playing/cleaning, and around lunchtime, he started getting fussy for his 2nd nap, so I brought him into the laundry room to grab a clean diaper. As we walked past the kitchen window, I glanced over and saw this:
The creek had taken over our back yard!!
So I went outside and assessed the situation. Let's just say that at first I was a little nervous. After a few minutes of looking though and realizing that we were still about 1' above the current water height, I got a little less worried and just enjoyed observing the amazing power of water.
This is our side yard
This was where the water wasn't draining at all in the front of the house. Thankfully though the house's foundation was still 5" above the water (it's a little higher than the porch).
Here's a video to show how fast the water was moving from the side of our house to the back:
One other highlight of the rain was that Enoch and I both got great afternoon naps! Mine was 1.5 hrs, and his was a little over 2!! :) And in case you were wondering, the rain slowed down a lot this afternoon, and the flooding is no where near as high as it was earlier. :)
Here's my review of the Munchkin Fresh Food Feeder. We bought ours at WalMart, but you can also find them at Amazon and maybe Target?? Although I would have never bought this after just seeing it in the store, we had a friend recommend it to us. She is a grandma who's just recently had two young grandkids, so she's been through this stage less than 1 year ago. She recommended trying it because it's a great way to give babies fresh foods AND it can also help with teething (when you use frozen fruit)!
It's a handy little contraption that has a mesh bag, lockable top, and holding ring for making it easier to feed your baby fresh food. With this device, you can feed your baby fruits and vegetables that you don't want to have to mash/cook. It seems that they should be naturally soft foods though, and foods that can sqiush through the small holes in the mesh.
Here's a video of Enoch eating some frozen blueberries out of it.
As you can tell, he is a fan of chewing/sucking on it now, but the first few times I tried to use it, he was a little hesitant about how the mesh bag felt on his tongue. I would suggest continuing to try it if your little one doesn't take to it immediately. The blueberries worked well this time after they had a few minutes to defrost so that he was able to suck out some juice and blueberry filling. :)
One other note that I would add in about this is that it can be quite messy (depending on what kind of fruit/veg you put into it)! As you saw in the video, Enoch got SO purple from the blueberry juice. So, this is certainly not the kind of thing I'd take in the car or to a restaurant. In our house, it will mainly be reserved for before bath time when Little Man is already naked. Giving it to the baby when he/she is in a high chair could also be good, but once it falls onto the ground, it picks up any little debris it can find (because it's wet and juicy), so you might also need use a paci clip to keep it up on the high chair (depending on how much of a pitcher you have).
Overall, I'd give this 4 stars out of 5. It's handy to use, and it did make Enoch's sore gums feel better, but it's pretty messy and is really only useful to me at home.
**I have NOT been compensated for this review in any way. I simply wanted to share my thoughts about this product. I hope it has been helpful.**
When Paul says to put to death the deeds of the body “by the Spirit” (Romans 8:13), I take him to mean that we should use the one weapon in the Spirit’s armor that is used to kill. Namely, the sword. Which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:17).
So when the body is about to be led into a sinful action by some fear or craving, we are to take the sword of the Spirit and kill that fear and that craving. In my experience that means mainly severing the root of sin’s promise by the power of a superior promise.
This is from a really good post by Piper this morning here on fighting sin. He goes on to list a handful of his most used promises from Scripture that are powerful in killing the lure of sin's promises.
I appreciated this insight into his life, and I think this is one of the few lasting ways to kill sin. I'd encourage you to go and check out his post and pick out one or two for yourself. My favorite is Phil. 4:19, so I think I'll work on memorizing it today.
This is Piper's final encouragement:
Be constantly adding to your arsenal of promises. But never lose sight of the chosen few that God has blessed in your life. Do both. Be ever-ready with the old. And every morning look for a new one to take with you through the day.
I stumbled upon this audio interview (from Nine Marks) through one of the blogs I follow. It is basically Mark Dever interviewing John Piper about Piper's new book, Bloodlines (which you can read in full via pdf here, thanks to Desiring God Ministries). Bloodlines is all about racism, the cross, and the Christian life (as the book's subtitle says).
Here is the "about the book" excerpt from DG Ministries:
Genocide. Terrorism. Hate crimes. In a world where racism is far from dead, is unity amidst diversities even remotely possible? Sharing from his own experiences growing up in the segregated South, pastor John Piper thoughtfully exposes the unremitting problem of racism. Instead of turning finally to organizations, education, famous personalities, or government programs to address racial strife, Piper reveals the definitive source of hope—teaching how the good news about Jesus Christ actively undermines the sins that feed racial strife, and leads to a many-colored and many-cultured kingdom of God. Learn to pursue ethnic harmony from a biblical perspective, and to relate to real people different from yourself, as you take part in the bloodline of Jesus that is comprised of “every tongue, tribe, and nation.”
This topic of racism and how Christians are to "deal" with it has been on my mind a lot since we decided to move to the South. I can name a handful of issues that I have already noticed relating to racism here, both in the existing culture and also in my reactions to it. So, to say the least, the audio interview (the first link above) was incredibly edifying to me. I would encourage you to listen to it, no matter where you live, no matter how many races you interact with daily, no matter how un-racist you believe yourself to be.
After listening to the audio and watching the video (below), I am convinced that I will be reading this book soon, not only because of the topic, but also because Piper is an excellent author, and I am interested to know more about his take on how the gospel applies to this topic.
I can NOT believe that my baby is 3/4 of a year old!!! Where has the time gone?? There's an old saying, "The days are long, but the years are short," which I can absolutely agree with, almost everyday that I'm a parent. I've tried to embrace this quip though by enjoying each and every "long" day that I have with Little Man, knowing that each day is a gift from the Giver of good gifts, and knowing that I want the "short" years to be filled with purposefully spent days. :)
I'm pretty sure that I didn't type up a 8 month update (so sorry!!), but I'm gonna chalk that one up to a crazy eighth month! We were so busy visiting family, traveling, packing, tying up relationships, moving, unpacking, etc. that the time flew! Enoch did pretty much stay on the same schedule he's been on for the past few months though (nursing 4x-5x per day, eating 1-2 jars of baby food (veggies & fruits), napping 2x per day (9-10:30 and 1-2:30), and sleeping from 6 pm til 6 or 7 am.
We can definitely say that having a schedule/routine is beneficial for Enoch because between moving and traveling, we've seen how being "unscheduled" doesn't work well for him. And having a schedule also helps him readjust within a day or two after being off. So we are thankful that we settled into a schedule with him early. (Although I should say that after the out-of-state move, it took him 5-6 days to get his bedtime/awake time back to normal. His naps never really suffered, but he struggled with falling asleep, and he was waking up at 4:30 or 5:00 for awhile there.)
Enoch has adjusted well to our new house. The linoleum is pretty slippery, but I think he'll figure that out soon (for instance when he tries to stand up and his foot slips or when he bends way over and looses traction with his hands). He likes playing in the stroller while we do things (housework, organizing, cooking, etc.), but I've noticed that he gets SO much more sweaty here than he used to... maybe the killer humidity? ;) And I think he's also finally getting used to the noises (for instance, his bedroom is right beside the kitchen (the fridge/oven part, to be exact), so for awhile there I couldn't cook/clean the kitchen after he went to bed. (that was rough!) Now I try to be quiet in there during his naps, but he's pretty resilient after he goes to bed. :)
Since our move, we have also changed our family schedule again (and it could be subject to change in the Fall once Hugh is teaching classes). For now, Hugh has started taking Enoch for some "man" time in the mornings (rather than in the afternoons). Usually they go outside and play under the shade tree or go for a walk. It has really been a helpful change for me because it gives me a little free-time each morning for exercising, showering, or whatever else I want to do before family worship and Enoch's first nap. On most days, Hugh is still able to get out the door early enough to make it to the office before it's too warm (he's riding his bike), and it gives them some nice (cool) time to play together outside. (Hugh really enjoys it too!) Here's a video that Hugh took of their typical man time:
Things Enoch likes:
-grabbing/touching everything
-talking
-getting out of the house... he just loves seeing people!
-being tickled
-Daddy time
-going for walks
-turning the pages in a book
-grabbing grass & dirt
-helping Mama with chores and decorating
-listening to us sing
-watching cars (especially those with trailers)
-biting
Enoch being ferocious while he chews on this foam "B"
(as you can see, he left some marks!!)
Things Enoch doesn't like:
-being alone
Things Enoch's not quite sure about yet:
-swimming in the pool
-dogs
-our linoleum
New Skills:
-standing while holding on to an object (or a parent)
-eating Cheerios (not perfectly consistent at this yet)
-reaching
Here is Enoch standing up:
And here's an attempt to eat Cheerios (he doesn't actually eat one in this video, but you can see his strategy/skills)
I just love stumbling across excellent blog posts that explain difficult issues plainly with sound doctrine!! I read an exceptional one a few weeks back, and it has taken me forever to get around to sharing it. I wanted to go ahead and post it up though because I think it's a good reference for parents (and non-parents alike).
I enjoyed reading each article, and I feel like they are both helpful in many ways. First, I think that we should each be seeing these 5 marks in our own lives if we claim to be a Christian. For me, the mark of hating sin is convicting because I can still clearly identify sin in my own life, and I know that my heart doesn't hate it fully yet. Oh that Christ would continue breaking me of my fleshly nature.
Then, I also think that if we have a brother or sister in Christ who is not displaying these marks, we should encourage/sharpen him/her and try to strengthen his/her faith (or lead them to true saving faith, depending on their relationship with the Lord). Lastly, when it comes to adolescents, I think these marks can help identify true conversion and can also guide us as we interact with young people and know what to expect from regenerated youth. I found Croft's article (and revision of the original marks) to be insightful and to give a good starting ground for us to stand on as Enoch matures and grasps the gospel more and more.
Just to whet your appetite, I'll post Edwards' Five Marks of True Conversion here in short form, but please go and check out both articles. I think they'll be beneficial to you in one way or another (or maybe multiple ways). :)
1. You love Jesus
2. You hate sin
3. You love God's Word
4. You love [and are ruled by] the truths of Scripture
5. You love believers
These may seem short and "easy", but I would challenge you to read through each point again and pause to think upon it briefly. These 5 marks are things that you will not seek to do in and of yourself. You MUST be born again. Without the purification that Jesus offers and the help of the Spirit, these marks are impossible to carry out to the true depths that Christ calls us to. In the redemptive work of Christ alone can we be reconciled to God, deny ourselves (and our sinful nature), and seek to be ruled by God, loving what He loves and hating what He hates.
We have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His
will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a
manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in
every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. (Colossians 1:9b-10)
Last week was a big week of firsts for our Little Man! He had a few firsts that I just wanted to write down so that I could remember (and to share with all of our family & friends). So here they are (in no particular order):
First Accident Involving Blood
Yes, I know.. it's sad to hear, but our baby boy has now spilled a little blood. :( But he is okay now! Let me try to be brief in telling the story. We were out to a church-wide lunch at a family's home north of town. It was really a good time, and after everyone ate, we all stayed and talked for a few hours. (As a side note, Hugh and I really enjoyed it!!) To keep Enoch entertained at one point, I had given him a little 4 oz tupperware container with Cheerios in it. (He loves to pick it up, shake it and throw it.) Anyway, he was sitting in my lap at the dining table playing with it, being such a good boy. [The scene seems quite picturesque, right??] Well, he ended up throwing his head down and hitting his jaw on the tupperware container (which was on the table), forcing his bottom teeth through his top gums just a bit. [I still get a little squeamish just typing it...] Anyway, he took in a REALLY big breath/gasp before he started wailing (which I don't blame him for one bit, but Hugh and I always joke that the bigger the breath/gasp, the bigger the booboo). So I turned him around to comfort him in my arms, and after a few seconds, I realized that this was a pretty big booboo because he wasn't calming down. So I opened up his mouth to check, and sure enough, there was blood!! Mommy and Daddy played ER in the kitchen for a few minutes though (meaning we wrapped a paper towel around an ice cube and let him suck on it), and then he was only a little pitiful (I think he gets that residual state of pitifulness from me). :) This morning when I checked, I could hardly tell that his gums were bleeding yesterday. I'll attribute that to a baby's ability to heal quickly + a little breastmilk (which our midwife called liquid gold and claimed could heal almost anything).
First Time to Eat Cheerios by Himself
So, after Enoch calmed down from his first bleeding booboo, we sat back down at the table. He was feeling a little restless though, so this time I gave him a few Cheerios to play with. We've been letting him play with Cheerios for a few weeks now (since our recent trip to visit Great Grandma Mary), but the ability to get them from his hand into his mouth had evaded him thus far. Well, I don't know if having his first accident matured him or what, but sure enough, he learned how to transfer Cheerios from his hand into his mouth yesterday afternoon too! He ended up eating around 5 all by himself!!
(I realize as I type "all by himself" that this is the first of many things he will begin doing without parental help, which is a little sad from a sentimental point of view, but as Hugh always likes to point out, helping our children mature into responsible, God fearing adults is a higher/better calling than trying to keep them at a certain stage for the rest of their lives. ;)
First Time to "Swim" in a Big Pool
Okay, so this didn't happen yesterday; it was technically this past Tuesday, but I still wanted to include it. :) We went over to a play group on Tuesday with some other ladies that I had met at church the prior Sunday. The pool was in the back yard of one of the grandparents, and it had a nice big shallow end (around 3') for the kiddos to play in. Enoch wasn't thrilled at first, but as long as I held him he was okay. By the end of our swim (which lasted about an hour) he was enjoying it and laughing some. He did NOT like the floaty made for babies, but maybe next time he'll warm up to it. And I'm also happy to report that he didn't poop in the pool. What manners! :)
First Time to Stand Solo (while holding onto the couch)
While Hugh was playing with Enoch this weekend, he taught him how to grab ahold of the couch while standing to keep his balance. I think both boys really enjoyed playing like this! I'm hoping to upload a video for the FFF post this week.
