Thoughts on Reading

How can we undo the media oversaturation that plagues us? I'm reading through Faithful Women and Their Extraordinary God and I'm amazed at the manner and ways that these women went to the mission field. Gladys Aylward, a missionary in China, explains that she "read an article about China that made a terrific impression on me. To realize that millions of Chinese had never heard of Jesus Christ was to me a staggering thought, and I felt we ought to do something about it." This statement took me by surprise. The idea that a simple article about the unchurched in China would be the vehicle by which God would call this woman to serve in China does not fit into my modern framework. I cannot imagine being so impacted by a short piece of writing. The trouble is that writing (and reading for that matter) has sadly lost much of its power. We read more than we ever have before via the internet and texting; we have become so desensitized to the written word. I worry about the implications of what we are losing in relationship to God's Holy Word. Does it impact us the way that it did a generation ago? Are we reading it for all its worth?

the shaping of a christian family

I just finished this book and wanted to document some of the most meaningful portions to me:

Bring them up means much more than merely "allow them to grow."
Bringing up children is a task. It is a positive action... the father is
the priest in the home. This means standing in the presence of God for
others. It means making sacrifices on their behalf. In a deep
spiritual sense he stands in the place of God in the home--His represenative,
the visible sign of His presence, His love, His care. A little child wants
"somebody with skin on" ; he wants the father to be there in the dark, his
weight felt sitting on his bed, his hand on the child's hand, his voice
audible. His own father's arms are all he yet knows of the Everlasting
Arms. (137)

They did not think it a good thing to explain all of their reasons and actions to us when we were small. It is an unnecessary waste of time, for one thing, for the reasoning rarely satisfies the child anyway, but more importantly, it makes it difficult later on for the child to accept what God ways without explanation. He must learn to trust the person, to believe the word, and to let the matter rest there, even when reasons are hidden, a hard but vital lesson for the rest of his life. (142)

Are we ever tempted to think that because of fluctuating feelings and harassing doubts, we are no longer aceptable to God? Let us remember that it is never because of anything in us that we are accepted at all. The measure of our acceptance is what Christ is to God; and that remains ever the same. - Evan Hopkins (212)

A Great Day

Right now it is about 7am, and the boys are both still asleep. I have coffee brewing and a quiet time waiting, but I wanted to get down the activities of yesterday for a few minutes. Number one: I was successful in making a chai latte. Woohoo! Number two: I fixed a taco dinner for Trey, a big achievement when I've cooked full meals for him less than a dozen times since we've been married. It was so rewarding to see the smile on his face. Number three: I'm reading Elisabeth Elliot's Shaping of a Christian Family. It's been a real encouragement to me as a mommy and a Christian. It was a great reminder that God is good, and it also gave me simple and meaningful ideas to help share my faith with Owen Ray, like reciting Psalm 23 to him as I am laying him down for bed.