Out of the Mouths of Babes

I've had these gems documented for several years now.  These are all things my son said when he was around 3 years old (he's almost 11 now!).  

When Anita took Aaron Job and Abby to the park along with several other mothers & children from our church, Aaron Job noticed the absence of any men. He asked Anita, "Where are all the Daddies?" Anita explained, "Well, the daddies have to go to work to provide for their families." Aaron Job caught on quickly and added, "And the mommies go to jewelry parties!"

_______________

As we were pulling out of a gas station, Aaron Job saw some random man getting into his car.

Aaron Job: "Who's that?"
Me: "I don't know"
Aaron Job: "Is he nice?"
Me: "Well, I don't know."
Aaron Job: "If he trusts in the Lord, he can go to Heaven."

_______________

Praying before one evening meal, Aaron Job began thanking God for different people in our family (he rarely prays like this). After listing several people, he stopped and said a bit urgently, "Oh, I forgot something!" We all pause, waiting for him to perhaps mention another family member that slipped his mind... he then said,
"I don't have a drink!"

Anita: "I'll get your drink Aaron Job, but you need to finish praying first."
Aaron Job: "Otay. Amen."

_______________

As hard as it may be to believe, sometimes 3 year old boys don't like to take naps in the afternoon. So when Aaron Job would take a good nap, Anita was sure to praise him.

One afternoon, after such a good, long nap, Anita began her accolades to her son:

Anita: "Good boy, Aaron Job! You slept really good, you didn't get out of bed, you didn't make any noise..."
Aaron Job (interrupting): "And I didn't poopoo in my underwear!!"

_______________

We'd been trying to sell our house for a couple of months. We found a house we really liked, at a good price, and it happened to have one of those nice swing sets made of the heavy timbers. Aaron Job played on it while we toured the home.

So one night we were praying that God might allow us to get this house. We reminded Aaron Job of the house and the swing set - which got him excited. We suggested that he should pray and ask the Lord if He would please give us this house. So he did with a nice, simple prayer:

"Lord, would you please give us this house with the slide?"

After a few seconds, he cracked open one of his eyes and looked at me and asked: "What'd He say?"

Filling in Empty Music (3 of 3)

This will be the last of a 3 part series that started Wednesday, where I suggest some additional lyrics to some otherwise great songs.  Today we'll look at a song we sing during Christmas that I first heard on my wife's Selah Christmas CD, Rose of Bethlehem. This one is called "Light of the Stable." Again, good tune, but I realized that there's just two verses repeated over and over. So, I just came up with a few others (in orange). I attempted to move Jesus beyond Bethlehem to His rightful place on the throne.

Hail, hail to the newborn King
Let our voices sing Him our praises
Hail, hail to the guiding Light
That brought us tonight to our Savior

CHORUS:
Halle, hallelujah Halle, hallelujah
Halle, hallelujah Halle, hallelujah

Come now, let it shine so bright
To the knowing Light of the stable
Kneel close to the Child so dear
Cast aside your fear and be thankful

Bow down and behold your God

In an infant’s body – He’s Immanuel!

Worship and exalt His Name

You’ll never be the same – He’s Jesus!

CHORUS

Trust Him, trust in Him alone

He now sits enthroned in the Heavens

Ruling with His power and might

He’s the holy Light of the stable.

CHORUS

So there you go. Feel free to take & use and/or re-work any of these as you see fit. They're far from perfect, but just my feeble attempt at songwriting.

Filling in Empty Music (2 of 3)

Yesterday I began the first of three short posts on the subject of worship song lyrics. Today, I want to introduce you to another song & my additional lyrics.  The song is Praise Adonai by Paul Baloche and it's a great song! You can get chords & sheet music here. The only weakness is that it has only one verse and the chorus. So, I've since added two extra verses (in orange).

Who is like Him
the Lion and the Lamb
Seated on the throne
Mountains bow down
Every ocean roars
To the Lord of hosts

CHORUS:

Praise Adonai
From the rising of the sun
'Til the end of every day
Praise Adonai
All the nations of the earth
All the angels and the saints
Sing praise.

Who is like Him

obedient to death

Death upon a cross

every knee shall bow

and every tongue confess

that Jesus Christ is Lord!

CHORUS

Who is like Him

The Way, the Truth, the Life

The Shepherd and the Door

The true abiding Vine

The Living Bread from Heav’n

The great I AM the Lord!

CHORUS

 If you're still around tomorrow, we'll look at one last song... just in time for Christmas!

Filling In Empty Music (1 of 3)

I'm involved in the children's worship ministry at our church and I'm always looking for new, solid songs to teach and sing with our children. I often find some songs with a few good lyrics, but get discouraged because the rest of the song ends up being repetitious or empty or just...not great.

I remember reading Leonard Payton's chapter entitled, "HOW SHALL WE SING TO GOD?", in The Coming Evangelical Crisis, John H. Armstrong, gen. ed. (Chicago, Ill.: Moody, 1996). You can actually read it online here. He spoke of the failure to hold tighter to Scripture when writing songs. He says,

Consider the well-known chorus, Bless His Holy Name.

     Bless the Lord, 0 my soul,
     and all that is within me
     bless His holy name.
     He has done great things.
     He has done great things.
     He has done great things,
     bless His holy name..

It is true that the opening sentence of the chorus is a verbatim quote of Psalm 103:1, and that is to be applauded. Beyond that, however, the remaining twenty-one verses of Psalm 103 are compressed into a scant eight words that give the vague notion that we should bless the Lord because of the great things He has done. What those great things are is left to the imagination, not the plain teaching of Scripture. The problem is that true, biblical gratitude must have its basis in objective facts or doctrine. If it doesn’t, it is mere sentimentality.

Worship music teaches whether or not we want it to do so. It behooves us, therefore, to approach the writing of worship music texts with as much theological clarity and as much
linguistic skill as possible.

Ever since I read that over 10 years ago, I've tended to lean toward the strict side of passing judgement on songs that just didn't cut it. Since then, I've not only tried to be a bit more forgiving, but to also take the advice Isaac Watts' father gave him when he complained about the songs (Psalms) they always sang in church. His father said, in effect, "If you don't like them, write something better." And Isaac Watts did. And so did I. But his are better.

1960 Boy Scout Handbook

In honor of my son earning his Arrow of Light badge and crossing over into Boy Scouts tonight, I've posted below the first few pages of my dad's Boy Scout Handbook from 1960. We don't have my son's new handbook yet, but I'm guessing the content will be very much the same as this one from half a century ago. That's a good indication of a well-grounded organization. However, I'm also guessing the artwork has changed drastically, and not for the better.

 Click any image to enlarge.

The cover art here was provided by Norman Rockwell. This was one of four covers featuring his iconic artwork.  This cover, according to this site, was the only piece done by Rockwell specifically for the Boy Scouts, in honor of their 50 year anniversary.  The main scout was painted by Rockwell but the background images were added by someone else.  His art was featured on three other covers as well, but all three pieces were first published in his Brown & Bigelow Scout Calendar.
You can see every handbook cover throughout scouting history, and read a short description of them here.

To God From Anna

Anita found this in the mailbox today.

I love Him He is the
lord or God who
loves us even more
then us He loves
us sooooo Much

I Love
you but
not more then
yourself.

from Anna

I Want to be a Christian

Dear Daddy

I wate to be a Christian and I love you.

Love
Anna
xo
xo
xo

The Only Thing That Stops Me

A day in the diary of a nine year old...

Click to enlarge.

Sunday 11/1 November

I will still write in here even through the war.  No battle today.  I have a feeling we will win.

Today we went to Larry's Pizza, wich is my favorite resturant.

I like my PSP.  If it runs out of batteries, than doesn't stop me.

The only thing that stops me

is my dad.

Now I'm bored.  I'm hoping we're going to watch "America's Funniest Videos."

The World of Silverstone

Who knows how many great novels are lying unfinished in the drawers of wanna-be writers all across the land. I hope that won't be true with my son. But just in case... I've posted the first chapter of his latest novel: The World of Silverstone. If he doesn't finish, at least you'll have the first few pages.


Below you'll find the table of contents, promising 15 chapters - and a map, as well as character sketches (both illustrative on the cover & biographical after the contents). Enjoy!

The World of Silverstone

by Aaron Job Wilson
(click to enlarge any image)

The Flower :: By Abby Wilson

 

 

The Flower
by Abby Wilson

Once apon a time, there was a flower with no leaves.  All the other flowers made fun of her.  She dicided to leave.  She left all her friends.  Her friends missed her and they thought.  Then they knew what they did and went to go and find her.  When they found her they told her they were sorry.  She forgave them and they were friends agian.
The End

ps:  She grew leaves.  Herray

Here is Abby reading her story on the "morning news" at her elementary school:

If you have trouble viewing click here

What To Do When Church is Cancelled

During the winter months in Arkansas, periodic storms of snow & ice often cause everything to shut down for a day or two - schools, businesses, dangerous roads, etc. So what do you do in the event that church is cancelled?   I'd like to suggest that just because your church services are cancelled, that doesn't mean the Lord's day is cancelled.  Of course, the fellowship of the body will be missed, but there is still great opportunity for men to lead their own flock in a time of meaningful worship.  Here are a few simple suggestions that will take little or no preparation on your part.

1. Sing :: If you have any musicians in your home, great - let them help!  If not, just sing a few well known hymns or choruses together.  Let the children take turns choosing a song.
2. Pray :: Share requests with one another.  Pray through your church prayer list.  Pray for those still suffering in Haiti.  Pray for your neighbors.  Pray for your government (1 Timothy 2:1-2).  I've never been around a child who couldn't think of something/someone to pray for.
3. Read Scripture :: An adult can lead by reading or they may let the children take turns.  Pick a passage that your pastor has recently been in or one that you're currently reading on your own.  Ask others for their favorite passages.  
4. Listen to a Sermon :: One of the great blessings of technology is the incredible amount of sermon audio available online today.  So take your Bibles and turn... just like you would at church, and listen to the preacher of your choice.  Here are a few sites to choose from:

• SermonAudio.com - You can find most any preacher that suits your theological & denominational preference here.  As far as I know, these sermons are free to anyone.
• Monergism - A great mp3 resource from a reformed perspective
• John MacArthur - you can search for any sermon by Scripture reference here
• John Piper - His sermon archives are available here
• Faith By Hearing - A wide & solid assortment of mp3 sermons searchable by Scripture text, topic, preacher, etc.

I trust this will be a helpful & encouraging resource for you.  Hopefully you'll see how easy this can be.  However, I want to caution you regarding your expectations - especially if you have little ones with short attention spans (or older ones with short attention spans!)  Don't expect this to go perfectly - because it probably won't.  You do want to be training your children to sit still and quiet, but you also want to remember that this is an informal time of worship.  For instance, if you're listening to a sermon and someone has a question, pause the sermon and discuss.
Have some fun with this - you might even tell the kids that they'll get to "go to church" in their PJ's tomorrow!
 
Have a great Lord's Day tomorrow - I'd love to hear how your family worship went!

(At least one church I know has a "come if you can" policy for inclement weather that helps avoid any confusion and lack of communication.)

They Learn by Watching You

This memorable PSA from the 80's teaches a valuable & sobering lesson: kids learn from their parents. This also has biblical support as well. In Deuteronomy 6:4-9, the LORD is preparing the children of Israel before occupying the promised land. He instructs the fathers to know God, love God and keep God's Word. He also instructs them to instruct their children in the ways and works of God.  The result, to use the words of Asaph from Psalm 78, "so that they should set their hope in God."  Asaph goes on to express another result, negatively, "that they should not be like their fathers."
The idea in Deuteronomy 6 about binding God's Word on your hand, or between your eyes and writing them on your doorposts and your gates, isn't the OT equivalent of wearing "clever" Christian tees, WWJD bracelets (boy that's been while!), hanging Home Interior framed Scriptures all over the house and sticking a Jesus fish on your car.  While none of this is inherently wrong, it misses the point.  The idea is for parents to LIVE in such a way that God and His Word is a normal part of everyday life in and around the home.  The goal is for children to see Monday thru Saturday Who & what their parents claim to love on Sunday.  And you can be sure - the children WILL see.  Hopefully our children will see our passion for the Lord and pursue the same for themselves.  It's been my humble opinion - at least humanly speaking - that the main reason children walk away from the faith once they're out of the home is because they never saw it in the home.
This is a great challenge and heavy responsibility for those of us with the blessed title of parent.  We should think hard on these things.  I'll conclude with a quote from J.C. Ryle, a 19th century pastor from England, from his little book, Duties for Parents:

Fathers and mothers, do not forget that children learn more by the eye than they do by the ear. No school will make such deep marks on character as home…. Imitation is a far stronger principle with children than memory….Take care, then, what you do before a child. I is a true proverb, ‘Who sins before a child, sins double.’

We Retired Another Pair

One month ago, our third child reached that milestone of freedom for which every child longs: losing the training wheels.

Getting a few pointers from Dad.

And she's off!
She never looks back.

Big sister is watching from the sidelines.

Congratulations Anna!

Scooby-Doo and the Haunted Doghouse

Among many treasures I found at a recent estate sale was this Rand-McNally 1975 edition, Scooby-Doo children's book. The only thing missing is that famous line, "And I would've gotten away with it if it weren't for those meddling kids and their dumb dog! "

Enjoy.

Loser of Comfort... Gainer of Glory

Here are some great thoughts from blogger Tim Challies on the providence of God in human affliction, considering the following passage in John:

“As [Jesus] passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ Jesus answered, ‘It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him’ (John 9:1-3).

Tim considers this passage in a modern day context, as he reminds us of the rising numbers of abortions based on pre-natal testing for fetal abnormalities. In a world where you can easily abort and start over if everything isn't perfect, these words are much needed. I can't help but think of several people I know who have recently chosen to carry babies full-term, knowing that, apart from God's miraculous intervention, their child would have a short and/or difficult physical life here on earth. May this meditation on John 9 serve as an encouragement to such parents. (Consider Mighty Molly Mutz)

Tim quotes several Bible commentators on this passage and applies them again to this modern & murderous trend of abortion. Matthew Henry's thoughts were my favorite, including this quote:

“Those who regard [God] not in the ordinary course of things are sometimes alarmed by things extraordinary. How contentedly then may a good man be a loser in his comforts, while he is sure that thereby God will be one way or other a gainer in his glory!”

Or, as Tim applied & paraphrased, "Those who choose abortion are unwilling to lose their comforts that God may gain His glory."

Read the entire article here.

He Croaked

A death in our family, Kermit (the frog).

R.I.P.
Here lies Kermit
whom I was proud of

Aaron Job's Shopping List

An Animated History of the Hungarian Rhapsody

The Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 has to be one of the most popular classical works - thanks to it's popularity among cartoon makers. Consider these dueling pianists...

And do you remember these other two cartoons? Mickey is credited with the first cartoon performance.

Even Woody Woodpecker had a turn. Apparently these aren't the only cartoons built around Hungarian Rhapsody #2.

Perhaps the popular use of classical music in older cartoons (I have no idea if they still do this) has encouraged many children to pursue a musical discipline. I'd have to attribute at least some of my love for music to the subtle influence that cartoons had on me. And even today, after watching the vintage video above of Tom & Jerry dancing around the keys, my son has been on a quest to peck out the melody on our piano by ear.

Who said watching cartoons is a waste of time? :)

Shock and Awe

Photojournalism at it's best... in the midst of the action.

Commanding troops.

Swarming the palace.

Old glory still stands.

Hostage?

Ok, ok... it's just an 8 year old boy with his army men.

Pinewood Derby '09: A Photo Recap

Aaron Job's is the black car seen above.















The top five fastest cars in the Pack.

4th Place goes to Aaron Job!

More Pinewood Derby here.