I finally found a devotional book/guide that I really like and would wholeheartedly recommend to everybody. D.A. Carson’s book For the Love of God (Vol. 1 & 2) is a devotional companion to Robert Murray M’Cheyne’s Bible reading schedule. If you follow M’Cheyne’s schedule, you will read through the New Testament and Psalms twice and the Old Testament once in the course of a year. Each daily reading consists of four different passages, two from the OT and two from the NT. I have been following this schedule for some time now, and one of the complaints I have is wishing I could dig deeper into the Bible. For a while I searched for something that would help me understand the Bible better without having to do tons of reading on a daily basis. I also didn’t like most of the devotional books available because they tend to be fluffy or the exegesis of the Bible isn’t always on target. Another danger was the tendency for the devotional book to commend itself or its lessons instead of the Bible. In contrast, Carson in the introduction of his book says:

If you must skip something, skip this book; read the Bible instead.

I really appreciate this. Amen. The Bible should be THE book we cling to. It was with great delight that I discovered Carson’s companion guide. Carson dispenses reflections, explanations, and comments regarding each daily reading. I have been enjoying this little treasure because it enables me to gain a better understanding of the Bible.

Read the whole article.

Our guilt in the face of Katrina is not that we can’t see the intelligence in God’s design, but that we can’t see arrogance in our own heart. God will always be guilty of high crimes for those who think they’ve never committed any.

But God commits no crimes when he brings famine, flood, and pestilence on the earth. “Does disaster come to a city, unless the Lord has done it?” (Amos 3:6). The answer of the prophet is no. God’s own testimony is the same: “I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am the Lord, who does all these things” (Isaiah 45:7). And if we ask, is there intelligent design in it all, the Bible answers: “You meant evil . . . but God meant it [designed it] for good” (Genesis 50:20).

This will always be ludicrous to those who put the life of man above the glory of God. Until our hearts are broken, not just for the life-destroying misery of human pain, but for the God-insulting rebellion of human sin, we will not see intelligent design in the way God mingles mercy and judgment in this world. But for those who bow before God’s sovereign grace and say, “From him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever,” they are able to affirm, “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!” (Romans 11:36, 33). And wisdom is another name for intelligent design.

Check out good thoughts from parents who are there and working through it.

As parents it is vital that we be informed on issues related to our children’s physical and spiritual well-being so we can make wise decisions on their behalf. Hopefully, reading this article will help you do that.

But secondly, we have asked two moms and pastors wives–who between them have no fewer than eight boys–how they, following their husband’s leadership, have handled the issue of video games in their homes. Both of these families have been long-time friends of ours, and we have observed up-close for many years the godly fruit of their parenting in the lives of their children. … May their thoughts provoke all of us to consider our own guidelines for our children’s “gaming” habits from a biblical perspective.

Note: while the above link is helpful, I think it’s also important to have a Biblical framework for “entertainment.” Read Lois’s original post on video games & TV for more on that.

One of the things I’ve gleaned from other homeschooling & blogging parents is that if you homeschool, all the time is “school-time.” Whereas, I think, if you put your children in institutional schools, you may help them with homework; but since the bulk of the curriculum has been delegated (abdicated?) to professional instructors, you really aren’t on top of your child’s learning.

Now, that may seem somewhat prejudiced, and perhaps it is. And even premature, given that the oldest of our two boys is only just starting on phonics. But even at this early stage, I’ve felt so blessed to know exactly what he’s learning. And I’m able to integrate it into such seemingly insignificant things as bedtime reading. Because Lois is the primary “schoolteacher,” and I pitch in on occasion, I am quite aware that Matthew has recently mastered individual letter sounds (e.g., “the short vowel sound of ‘A’ is…”). And Lois has been trying to move forward onto reading two-letter combinations, such as “an” and “en” with some success. But moving to three letters has seemingly resulted in a wall of incomprehension on Matthew’s part.

All that’s to say, even as this evening I read him a picture book called Freight Trains, that because I know precisely where Matthew’s at in reading skills — something that I think is a virtual impossibility if we’re not homeschooling — I can read to him and teach at the same time! As I read the big words on one side of the book, I paused each time I saw a simple three-letter word and asked him to sound out the letters. I then modeled for him composing those sounds into a word! Without forcing the issue in a “formal teaching” environment, but almost casually, I really believe that he’ll pick it up quicker than if we try to hammer it home… and quicker than if we “wait for him to show signs of readiness”. And certainly quicker than a teacher with a classroom of students can address his needs.

So neat. And also so enjoyable for me as a father to be able to participate in his learning in such intimate ways.

I just came across Al Mohler’s commentary on video games, and it’s an excellent piece. Please take a read. I believe this is a relevant topic because video games are rampant and it seems people of all ages are addicted to video games. I see it everywhere. What irks me the most is seeing it in the library. Libraries in my area usually have a nice big computer room, and I believe it is intended for educational purposes. Well, it certainly doesn’t look like it. Every time I pass by the computer room, I can see a roomful of kids playing video games. It just seems very wrong to me. What gets to me even more is when I need to use the computer to look up the library catalog, there isn’t one available. Most are taken by gamers.

Our family stays away from video games and we will do our best to keep it this way. We also don’t have a TV. We probably sound so archaic and we might even be mistaken for a Luddite. My husband is super geeky so that negates the notion (he says he’s a “pragmatic” neo-Luddite). The media is so influential that we are weary of its negative impact. We believe video games and TV watching are not a good use of one’s time. The Bible tells us in Ephesians 5:15-16 to make the most of every opportunity.

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

Gaming and TV watching don’t seem to be consistent with this passage. We need to take heed of this exhortation seriously.

Another negative aspect of too much media is the need to be entertained constantly. Living in an entertainment oriented culture, immediate gratification is sought relentlessly. Well, what is wrong with that? It leads to a weakened or atrophied mind for one. When you need to do the harder task such as reading, it is very difficult. There are very few people who can think, write, and speak well. Why is that? Our culture doesn’t promote this. We are constantly being entertained (see Neil Postman’s excellent Amusing Ourselves To Death). We want the easier route, not the difficult one where it produces character.

Creativity has also suffered. TV and video games give us images and dictate how we think or imagine, there is no room for one’s own imagination. We merely imitate what’s projected to us.

Our culture has also resulted in increasing obesity, especially in kids. I was somewhat shocked, though I probably shouldn’t be, to meet a chubby 8 yr old with hefty love handles recently. His body fat most likely exceeds the norm. I witnessed an all day video game marathon, and I believe this has a lot to do with his weight issue. Excessive gaming (or more accurately the physical inactivity this promotes) produces sedentary lifestyle which leads to obesity. Of course this little boy will have health issues down the road. In seeing this strong correlation, do I want this for my family? The answer is an emphatic NO.

There are countless examples of negative impact of TV and video games. We need to be responsible and do the wise thing. Turn off the TV, or better yet, toss it. Stop playing video games. Go out and play ball.

Lastly, lest anyone think that I believe TV watching is wrong, I need to explain that I don’t think it is. It is fine to have a TV in the home but be careful of what you show your children and how long they sit in front of the tube. We parents need to weed out all the bad programs and be very selective. I believe the best thing is not watch the TV at all. That’s my opinion.

Jane Healy’s book Endangered Minds: Why Children Don’t Think and What We Can Do About It is an excellent book about how TV viewing affects our brain functions. Don’t live with an atrophied mind, give it a good exercise by reading some good books.

Unsurprisingly, topic #1 on our blog these past few days is the soon-to-be newest addition to our family (see below). For the curious, she’s from Gaozhou, which is in the jurisdiction of Maoming City. In the map below, you’ll see that Maoming (highlighted) is in the southwest corner of Guangdong province (which is itself the southernmost province of China). We anticipate, however, given the distance from the big city; that the orphanage will arrange to bring her (with other adoptees) into Guangzhou (larger dot in center of map) which is the province capital. That’s where we anticipate meeting our little girl, finalizing the adoption, and bringing her home in two months, Lord willing!

As our little girl’s homecoming is drawing closer, I can’t help but reflect on several seemingly uneventful memories that paved the way for adopting a little girl from China.

The most interesting and vivid memory was the time when Evers and I vacationed in Annapolis, MD. This was shortly after we were married and childless. My husband and a friend went in to a grocery store, and I waited outside. While waiting, a lady approached me and asked, “Are you Chinese? Do you know how to read Chinese?” I was a bit startled because my kind was not common there and to be approached like that was just weird. She very kindly told me that she and her husband were adopting a little girl from China, and they just got the referral, but most of the documents were in Chinese. She was glad to spot a Chinese person at a shopping center and was hoping I could help her translate. I did the best I could but felt bad that I couldn’t translate everything for her. So, that was my very first encounter with adoption. I believe God orchestrated this encounter. I always looked back to this and wondered if there was more than what meets the eye.

Another encounter was when we first joined our church. A family there just announced that they adopted their second baby from Asia. I was intrigued because this family has 6 of their own, 1 adopted Asian girl, and now a newly adopted Asian boy. Being new to the church, I didn’t know them but I decided to approach the wife and asked about how they came to adopt 2 children from Asia. We chatted for a long while and then I finally said, “Well, adoption is something we’re interested in but of course not now. Maybe it’s something we’ll do far far down the road.” I already had Matthew then and was pregnant with Andrew so the thought of adopting a baby was far from my mind. What caught me a bit by surprise was what the wife said in response to my comment. I don’t remember exactly what she said, but the gist was, “God may have a different plan than yours. God may just change your mind.” At that moment I thought, “Oh no, I think she may be right.” Somehow I just knew that our adoption plan was going to come sooner than later. She was right after all. It was as if her words were prophetic.

Lastly, a friend of ours asked my husband a theological question about widows and how the church should care for them. James 1:27 was discussed:

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

It was interesting that our friend’s question regarding widows prompted us to discuss and think about the orphans. James 1:27 is clear that God cares about widows as well as orphans. Both of us were convicted that night. After putting it off for a day, both of us decided individually that we wanted to pursue adoption.

Now, there you have it, my personal reflections and how we have come to where we are now. I stated earlier that these events seemed uneventful at the moment, but looking back I am convinced that God used these circumstances to bring about a new blessing into our lives for His glory.