He's smirking because he knows he's about to beat... er... himself...
I just like seeing that hole in his mouth in this goofy one.
I just want to kiss his armpits in this one, is that weird? What? I mean, he's my baby.
He's making a- "seriously, you're still making me stand still" face here, but owell, I still like it.
The Classic Muscle Man Shots. What? Chess Players can have muscles.
Just finished a book my in-laws gave me for my birthday that was FANtabulous: The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller. Today I saw my friend, Anne, had posted this Tim Keller sermon bit on her blog (below) and wanted to pass it on. My father-in-law compared him to C.S. Lewis, which I thought a rather bold statement and worried he might disappoint me after hearing such... nope. (Of course not, my father-in-law knows what he's talking about.) I am really enjoying the way Keller paints a picture of our situation before God, and furthermore, enjoying the way God continues to love on me by shedding more and more light on this concept of costly grace (that I first heard of in high school) through Keller and others. Praise God for the theologian's mind:
No one has lived properly. No one can pass any moral evaluation of any sort.
OK. So many people say;
'Alright, alright I get it, but here is the thing I don't understand.
This this idea of debt, A debt that has to be paid for.
Surely if there is a God,' goes the objection, 'God can just forgive it. God can just forgive, can't he?'
Listen carefully.
This is the answer.
NO.
What I mean is, he just can't forgive the payment.
I beg you to think about this with me for a second, this is very important to understanding this whole thing.
First of all let me ask you psychologically,
If someone really, really wrongs you. REALLY wrongs you What happens?
I would suggest, and I think unavoidably, there is a debt. There is something between you and the person who has seriously wronged you.
And it can't be wished away, it can't be ignored.
It's a debt, and there are only two things you can do with a debt.
The only way to get rid of the barrier on the one hand you can make them pay it down.
In other words, you can hurt them, you can berate them you can find ways of making them suffer, you can exclude them, there are all sorts of things, and as you see them paying it you sense the debt being paid down at a certain point it's gone.
Now, by the way the Bible says if you do it that way, if you make people pay for what they have done it will turn you into a hard person.
It will dehumanize you. But that is not our subject today.
Nevertheless, you can make them pay it,
OR
the other thing you can do, you say, well, why don't you just forgive?
OK. That is the right thing to do, but let me tell you what forgiveness is made of.
To forgive them means;
when I want to hurt them, I don't.
When I want to slice up their reputation, I don't
When I want to just think hateful thoughts, and how have they done these awful things and what awful people they are, I don't!
And if I do that, if I refuse to do that, you will find, as time goes on that your anger subsides and why?
Because YOU are paying the debt down yourself.
YOU ARE PAYING it DOWN.
It is costly, it is difficult, but the fact of the matter, it doesn't go away,there is no way emotionally psychologically when a real wrong is done, it can't just be forgiven.
Somebody has to pay the debt. They have to pay it, you have to pay it, SOMEBODY has to pay it or the barrier is there.
-Tim Keller, The Story of the Lamb
Labels: soul food
Dear Sam,
You are such a joy to all of us. Following in the steps of your older siblings, you are not short on personality. You don't say much more than mama, dada, and baba yet... every now and then you will surprise us with "hiii" or what sounds like a siblings' name, or what sounds like "doggy" when you see Charlie. With these words, it is more the inflection than the pronunciation that makes what you mean crystal clear. But despite your limited vocabulary, you make what you want KNOWN... be it through inflection, your severely dramatic facial expressions, or your vocal chords.
Honey calls you Moose because you're filling out so quickly we might as well be watching a balloon inflate before our very eyes. Your brothers and sister have a complete fit over your rolls and behind and just you in general. They think everything you do is one of three things: precious, hilarious, or brilliant. And I have to agree. Even your temper tantrums are funny.
You've been walking since 9 months and pulling up for many months, so you get hurt a lot. Whenever you are injured we spank whatever hurt you- the floor, the table, the chair... and you stop crying long enough to observe this and then a few seconds later shake your limp hand at it, too, and say "dah, dah, dah" for bad, bad, bad along with us.
You also started opening and closing your fingers when we wave bye bye, but quickly lost interest in that new accomplishment.
Your skin is very fair like Evan's... and very dry this winter. And all the knees of your sleepers are black from your ambitious crawling ventures, and all the necks sour from drool. You have four teeth; four precious white pearls behind two precious soft lips. You give open-mouthed kisses to us, but only as you please, not on command. If we ask, we just might get a whap in the face. You are very rough.
And very bright.
And very vocal. (Did I mention that?)
One of your favorite games is when we have a sound off and copy yelling noises back and forth. What fun! This and peek-a-boo can sometimes send you into belly giggles.
Never still for long.
Never slowing down.
You are all boy.
And you love the ladies... particularly your sister. And you love when daddy walks in the door and cry when he leaves in the morning... indeed, you are a daddy's boy. You leap out of my arms when you hear the shower because you want so badly to join him.
And you're crazy about the rest of the bunch, too. Although, it's no difficult thing to love people who are so smitten with you. And we are, Sam. Boy, are we.
I love you,
Mama xo
