Just enter my email (charity@greenvillegrace.org) and the password "karishope" to get in.
Are they the cutest or what??
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Sneak Peek
With 2 birthdays coming up, we made the trek to Sears for portraits on Friday. (Karis turns 1 August 29 and Rach turns 4 August 24.) If you want to view some of their poses, just go here.
Just enter my email (charity@greenvillegrace.org) and the password "karishope" to get in.
Are they the cutest or what??
Just enter my email (charity@greenvillegrace.org) and the password "karishope" to get in.
Are they the cutest or what??
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Book Review: Counted Righteous in Christ
The Reason Behind the Reading
I should probably begin by explaining why in the world I would ever attempt to slog through a book like this. If you think I am a little nutty by the end of this review, you are probably not too far off base!
For the past six weeks or more, God has been urging - no, compelling - me to go back to the cross. My relationship with Him has been at a real low point, due mostly to my lack of discipline in making time with Him my first priority. I kept demanding, "God, help me grow! I want to know you so much more deeply than I do right now." I'm not kidding, every time I asked, these words repeated themselves in my head: "If you want to know Me, go to the cross."
I decided to dive in. I read every gospel account of the crucifixion and many related verses. I actually borrowed "The Passion of the Christ" from the library and forced myself to watch every bit of it. (It was even more horrifying than I had imagined.) I asked Danny to bring home books from his library that had anything to do with this topic.
Of the books he chose, this one stood out for some reason: Counted Righteous in Christ by John Piper. I began reading.
If you have ever read a book by this author, you will understand when I say, I got about 2 chapters into it and gave up. Following his logic requires absolute concentration and a fully rested, lucid mind. My life being the way it is right now, I was 0 for 2. Not to mention that Piper's footnotes constitute another book in themselves (one chapter contained over 60 footnotes, the majority of which must be read for a full understanding of the material contained in the chapter). I believe if these notes were printed in the same font as the main text of the book, it would have been twice its current length.
For some reason (God's prompting, perhaps?) I threw this book in with several others "just in case" I needed something to read on our trip. As it turned out, I read from it nearly every day. Yes, it took me about 7 days to read a 125-page book. I considered it a HUGE success to get through 10-15 pages in a sitting and actually understand them. But once I gave Piper a chance, I found what he had to say riveting, which kept me coming back for more.
So here goes (deep breath) . . .
The Review
Piper writes this "short" book in response to the contemporary challenge to the doctrine of the imputation of Christ's righteousness. This doctrine states that "Christ has become our substitute in two senses: in His suffering and death He becomes our curse and condemnation. And in His suffering and life He becomes our perfection" (p. 41). Basically, God counts us as righteous through faith based on Christ's perfect obedience in both His life and His death.
He addresses four of the "revisions" made to traditional teachings on justification, which are as follows:
1. Instead of faith being the catalyst of Christ's imputed righteousness, faith itself IS our righteousness (based on Rom. 4:2-6).
2. Justification involves only the imputation of our sin to Christ; NOT the imputation of His divine righteousness to us.
3. Justification has to do with "liberation from sin's mastery." In other words, justification includes sanctification, or the process of becoming more Christlike.
4. The doctrine of Christ's righteousness being imputed to believing sinners needs to be abandoned as unbiblical.
Piper's exegetical response to these challenges blew me away. He delves into several key passages in Romans, Philippians, and 1 & 2 Corinthians (He camps out for quite a while in Romans 5), carefully laying out the original Greek meanings of numerous words and phrases Paul uses. Then he goes much deeper by looking at Paul's conceptual framework and flow of thought in order to penetrate to the reality behind the words. Amazing. Reading Piper is like reading a mathematical equation (granted, a very complex one!).
He makes a very solid and biblical case (in my opinion) for the traditional view of justification:
1) That the righteousness imputed to us is external and not our faith. "Paul's conceptual framework for imputation . . . would not be God's crediting something we have to be righteousness, but God's crediting a righteousness we don't have to be ours by grace through faith" (p. 57).
2) That the external righteousness credited to us is God's.
3) That justification does not equal liberation from sin's mastery. "Our union with Christ in His death for us secures our justification, which then leads, as a result, to our moral transformation" (p. 80).
4) That the divine righteousness imputed to believers is the righteousness of Christ. He draws parallels between the imputation of Adam's sin and Christ's righteousness based primarily on Romans 5:12-19. He also shows that Christ's "one act of righteousness" involves both His life and His death.
Why does any of this matter?
Far from "splitting hairs" as I thought when I began reading the first time, the arguments presented are of utmost importance in that the doctrine of imputation, as traditionally (and biblically) understood, "bestows on Jesus Christ the fullest honor He deserves" (p. 125). Simply put, the proposed revisions sell short the redeeming work of Christ! Understanding this doctrine profoundly impacts every aspect of life, from marriage to parenting to providing biblical counsel to evangelization and corporate worship.
Reading this book is work! There is no coasting through it or skimming its pages, if you desire a full understanding of its content. I have probably read the entire thing about three times, if you count the paragraphs and sentences I had to reread several times over to even begin to follow. But it was well worth the effort. Like never before, I have been impressed with the full weight of Christ's work on my behalf - both in life and death. This truth is overwhelming and humbling. I have been motivated to searth the Scripture for myself, to really examine the truth it contains.
In spite of all this, I will most likely not attempt to read another book of this nature until our next vacation! My brain is about as fried as it was after taking the SAT.
I should probably begin by explaining why in the world I would ever attempt to slog through a book like this. If you think I am a little nutty by the end of this review, you are probably not too far off base!
For the past six weeks or more, God has been urging - no, compelling - me to go back to the cross. My relationship with Him has been at a real low point, due mostly to my lack of discipline in making time with Him my first priority. I kept demanding, "God, help me grow! I want to know you so much more deeply than I do right now." I'm not kidding, every time I asked, these words repeated themselves in my head: "If you want to know Me, go to the cross."
I decided to dive in. I read every gospel account of the crucifixion and many related verses. I actually borrowed "The Passion of the Christ" from the library and forced myself to watch every bit of it. (It was even more horrifying than I had imagined.) I asked Danny to bring home books from his library that had anything to do with this topic.
Of the books he chose, this one stood out for some reason: Counted Righteous in Christ by John Piper. I began reading.
If you have ever read a book by this author, you will understand when I say, I got about 2 chapters into it and gave up. Following his logic requires absolute concentration and a fully rested, lucid mind. My life being the way it is right now, I was 0 for 2. Not to mention that Piper's footnotes constitute another book in themselves (one chapter contained over 60 footnotes, the majority of which must be read for a full understanding of the material contained in the chapter). I believe if these notes were printed in the same font as the main text of the book, it would have been twice its current length.
For some reason (God's prompting, perhaps?) I threw this book in with several others "just in case" I needed something to read on our trip. As it turned out, I read from it nearly every day. Yes, it took me about 7 days to read a 125-page book. I considered it a HUGE success to get through 10-15 pages in a sitting and actually understand them. But once I gave Piper a chance, I found what he had to say riveting, which kept me coming back for more.
So here goes (deep breath) . . .
The Review
Piper writes this "short" book in response to the contemporary challenge to the doctrine of the imputation of Christ's righteousness. This doctrine states that "Christ has become our substitute in two senses: in His suffering and death He becomes our curse and condemnation. And in His suffering and life He becomes our perfection" (p. 41). Basically, God counts us as righteous through faith based on Christ's perfect obedience in both His life and His death.
He addresses four of the "revisions" made to traditional teachings on justification, which are as follows:
1. Instead of faith being the catalyst of Christ's imputed righteousness, faith itself IS our righteousness (based on Rom. 4:2-6).
2. Justification involves only the imputation of our sin to Christ; NOT the imputation of His divine righteousness to us.
3. Justification has to do with "liberation from sin's mastery." In other words, justification includes sanctification, or the process of becoming more Christlike.
4. The doctrine of Christ's righteousness being imputed to believing sinners needs to be abandoned as unbiblical.
Piper's exegetical response to these challenges blew me away. He delves into several key passages in Romans, Philippians, and 1 & 2 Corinthians (He camps out for quite a while in Romans 5), carefully laying out the original Greek meanings of numerous words and phrases Paul uses. Then he goes much deeper by looking at Paul's conceptual framework and flow of thought in order to penetrate to the reality behind the words. Amazing. Reading Piper is like reading a mathematical equation (granted, a very complex one!).
He makes a very solid and biblical case (in my opinion) for the traditional view of justification:
1) That the righteousness imputed to us is external and not our faith. "Paul's conceptual framework for imputation . . . would not be God's crediting something we have to be righteousness, but God's crediting a righteousness we don't have to be ours by grace through faith" (p. 57).
2) That the external righteousness credited to us is God's.
3) That justification does not equal liberation from sin's mastery. "Our union with Christ in His death for us secures our justification, which then leads, as a result, to our moral transformation" (p. 80).
4) That the divine righteousness imputed to believers is the righteousness of Christ. He draws parallels between the imputation of Adam's sin and Christ's righteousness based primarily on Romans 5:12-19. He also shows that Christ's "one act of righteousness" involves both His life and His death.
Why does any of this matter?
Far from "splitting hairs" as I thought when I began reading the first time, the arguments presented are of utmost importance in that the doctrine of imputation, as traditionally (and biblically) understood, "bestows on Jesus Christ the fullest honor He deserves" (p. 125). Simply put, the proposed revisions sell short the redeeming work of Christ! Understanding this doctrine profoundly impacts every aspect of life, from marriage to parenting to providing biblical counsel to evangelization and corporate worship.
Reading this book is work! There is no coasting through it or skimming its pages, if you desire a full understanding of its content. I have probably read the entire thing about three times, if you count the paragraphs and sentences I had to reread several times over to even begin to follow. But it was well worth the effort. Like never before, I have been impressed with the full weight of Christ's work on my behalf - both in life and death. This truth is overwhelming and humbling. I have been motivated to searth the Scripture for myself, to really examine the truth it contains.
In spite of all this, I will most likely not attempt to read another book of this nature until our next vacation! My brain is about as fried as it was after taking the SAT.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Camp Forest Springs
There is no other way to say it: the past couple of weeks have unquestionably been a gift from God.
We left on July 7 in a rented blue minivan, much to Rachel's disap-pointment (she thought the van would be pink). We spent that night (Fri.) in Shaumburg, a suburb of Chicago, where we indulged in (what else?) Chicago-style pizza at a place called Lou Mulnati's (When the hotel personnel described it to us, it sounded like they were saying "Illuminati's"), and went paddle-boating at a nearby park. We arrived in Westboro, Wisconsin, Saturday evening, and drove into the camp. Danny had agreed to be the speaker for their jr. high week (grades 7-9).
Camp Forest Springs is amazing. It is incredibly well-run and upbeat, but what stood out most to me was that fact that spiritual matters are THE major focus, even with everything else they have to offer - boating, swimming, a mini-farm, a challenge course, hiking trails, river trips, air rifles, archery, and wacky games. No camper leaves at the end of the week without having heard the gospel repeatedly via sessions and interaction with their counselor.
Back to our "vacation." We stayed in an air-conditioned one-bedroom apartment for the week. It actually worked out great, although I must confess that at the start I had visions of us all wanting to kill each other by the end of the week. There was a pack-n-play for Karis, a mattress which Zekers claimed the minute he laid eyes on it, and Rachel got to sleep in the "special secret room" (otherwise known as the closet), on a couple of sleeping bags.
We ate all our meals in the cafeteria with 300 other campers, staff and volunteers. The best part? NO COOKING FOR ME!! Now that's what I call a vacation. It was also a treat to get to spend time with Matt & Tarah and their family. Tarah & I attended the same HS and all four of us were at Grace together. Rachel had a blast with their daughter Anna, while Karis and Leah pretty much sat on the beach sucking their binkies and getting sand all over themselves.
I cannot even begin to describe to you the soul-cleansing beauty of this place. All week it was nothing but blue skies, green trees, fluffy white clouds, and sunshine. Several times I was able to get away for a little while and walk along wooded paths, revelling in the solitude, and wishing like anything that I'd remembered to douse myself in bug spray before I left.
The kids all seemed to get so much bigger on the trip. Karis began walking - really walking, chubby legs stomping and arms waving. She was incredibly impressed with herself, judging by her squeals of delight.
Rachel officially became a "big girl" when she went off to VBS - put on by a church in the community - with Renate, a Brazilian woman who she had never met but who became one of her best friends by week's end. Each day at lunch she educated us about the stars & planets, and showed us the little craft she had constructed. She also got to take part in the ultimate special activity - going to night sessions with Daddy, while the younger two went to bed. I wondered at first if she'd be able to hold in the chatter while he spoke, but she did beautifully (mostly because she ate snacks the entire time!).
As for Zekers . . . his big thing for the week was coming up with the phrase "I said muffin" when he was about to get into trouble. The randomness of it just sent me into hysterics every time; which, unfortunately, only encouraged his antics. He did learn a few things about handling animals when we visited the minifarm, and was very proud of himself for his newly-developed nurturing abilities, although my heart goes out to the hapless little chicken pictured above.
My original plan was to teach myself to knit on the trip - hahahaha. I actually thought I was going to make everyone I knew a scarf for Christmas on the way there and back, and during down time at the apartment. After several futile attemps, I gave up, without much of a fight, really. So, most of my time after the kids had gone to bed was instead spent playing guitar and reading a book by John Piper (not simultaneously), which I plan to review in my next post. The day after we got back, I returned all the knitting supplies to Walmart. I need another hobby like I need a hole in the head.
Danny had the double privilege of spending relaxing time with the fam, and impacting the lives of 200 jr. high students. He thouroughly enjoyed speaking, and having some quiet time each morning at the ministry center to prepare/email/blog. Many of the counselors commented to him that the messages sparked amazingly deep conversations between them and the campers. It was also wonderful for him to get to spend rare one-on-one time with each of the kiddos.
We left Saturday morning, again spent the night near Chicago, and again stuffed ourselves with Chicago-style pizza (at Lou Moulnati's). The kids were angels the whole way back. It was the perfect trip: we loved getting away, and we loved coming back home at the end of it.
We left on July 7 in a rented blue minivan, much to Rachel's disap-pointment (she thought the van would be pink). We spent that night (Fri.) in Shaumburg, a suburb of Chicago, where we indulged in (what else?) Chicago-style pizza at a place called Lou Mulnati's (When the hotel personnel described it to us, it sounded like they were saying "Illuminati's"), and went paddle-boating at a nearby park. We arrived in Westboro, Wisconsin, Saturday evening, and drove into the camp. Danny had agreed to be the speaker for their jr. high week (grades 7-9). Camp Forest Springs is amazing. It is incredibly well-run and upbeat, but what stood out most to me was that fact that spiritual matters are THE major focus, even with everything else they have to offer - boating, swimming, a mini-farm, a challenge course, hiking trails, river trips, air rifles, archery, and wacky games. No camper leaves at the end of the week without having heard the gospel repeatedly via sessions and interaction with their counselor.
Back to our "vacation." We stayed in an air-conditioned one-bedroom apartment for the week. It actually worked out great, although I must confess that at the start I had visions of us all wanting to kill each other by the end of the week. There was a pack-n-play for Karis, a mattress which Zekers claimed the minute he laid eyes on it, and Rachel got to sleep in the "special secret room" (otherwise known as the closet), on a couple of sleeping bags.
We ate all our meals in the cafeteria with 300 other campers, staff and volunteers. The best part? NO COOKING FOR ME!! Now that's what I call a vacation. It was also a treat to get to spend time with Matt & Tarah and their family. Tarah & I attended the same HS and all four of us were at Grace together. Rachel had a blast with their daughter Anna, while Karis and Leah pretty much sat on the beach sucking their binkies and getting sand all over themselves. I cannot even begin to describe to you the soul-cleansing beauty of this place. All week it was nothing but blue skies, green trees, fluffy white clouds, and sunshine. Several times I was able to get away for a little while and walk along wooded paths, revelling in the solitude, and wishing like anything that I'd remembered to douse myself in bug spray before I left.
The kids all seemed to get so much bigger on the trip. Karis began walking - really walking, chubby legs stomping and arms waving. She was incredibly impressed with herself, judging by her squeals of delight.
Rachel officially became a "big girl" when she went off to VBS - put on by a church in the community - with Renate, a Brazilian woman who she had never met but who became one of her best friends by week's end. Each day at lunch she educated us about the stars & planets, and showed us the little craft she had constructed. She also got to take part in the ultimate special activity - going to night sessions with Daddy, while the younger two went to bed. I wondered at first if she'd be able to hold in the chatter while he spoke, but she did beautifully (mostly because she ate snacks the entire time!).
As for Zekers . . . his big thing for the week was coming up with the phrase "I said muffin" when he was about to get into trouble. The randomness of it just sent me into hysterics every time; which, unfortunately, only encouraged his antics. He did learn a few things about handling animals when we visited the minifarm, and was very proud of himself for his newly-developed nurturing abilities, although my heart goes out to the hapless little chicken pictured above.My original plan was to teach myself to knit on the trip - hahahaha. I actually thought I was going to make everyone I knew a scarf for Christmas on the way there and back, and during down time at the apartment. After several futile attemps, I gave up, without much of a fight, really. So, most of my time after the kids had gone to bed was instead spent playing guitar and reading a book by John Piper (not simultaneously), which I plan to review in my next post. The day after we got back, I returned all the knitting supplies to Walmart. I need another hobby like I need a hole in the head.
Danny had the double privilege of spending relaxing time with the fam, and impacting the lives of 200 jr. high students. He thouroughly enjoyed speaking, and having some quiet time each morning at the ministry center to prepare/email/blog. Many of the counselors commented to him that the messages sparked amazingly deep conversations between them and the campers. It was also wonderful for him to get to spend rare one-on-one time with each of the kiddos.
We left Saturday morning, again spent the night near Chicago, and again stuffed ourselves with Chicago-style pizza (at Lou Moulnati's). The kids were angels the whole way back. It was the perfect trip: we loved getting away, and we loved coming back home at the end of it.
Sunday, July 16, 2006
New Additions
We arrived back several hours ago from a WONDERFUL and much-needed trip to Westboro, WI (more on that later). While I'm waiting for a load of laundry to finish drying, I wanted to relay something I heard on the way there which I found both informative and a little humorous.
According to Russell Moore (ha! I just typed "Crowe" and had to delete it), who was filling in on the Albert Mohler Program (a Christian talk show), Miriam Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary has recently added the following words:
bird flu
soul patch
unibrow
google (as a verb)
himbo - an attractive but vacuous male
mouse potato - someone who sits in front of a computer all day, as opposed to the TV
drama queen - I believe the definition simply read, "See Rachel Wright."
Another random bit of info I couldn't resist sharing: A woman emailed the show to ask whether or not she should see the new "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie, since she knows this will mean several hours of lusting after Johhny Depp. (No comment)
So there you have it: a truly life-enriching post.
According to Russell Moore (ha! I just typed "Crowe" and had to delete it), who was filling in on the Albert Mohler Program (a Christian talk show), Miriam Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary has recently added the following words:
bird flu
soul patch
unibrow
google (as a verb)
himbo - an attractive but vacuous male
mouse potato - someone who sits in front of a computer all day, as opposed to the TV
drama queen - I believe the definition simply read, "See Rachel Wright."
Another random bit of info I couldn't resist sharing: A woman emailed the show to ask whether or not she should see the new "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie, since she knows this will mean several hours of lusting after Johhny Depp. (No comment)
So there you have it: a truly life-enriching post.
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
The Most Beautiful Place on Earth
As I write, I'm listening to the munchkins banging around and laughing up in their room. Although they are supposed to be napping, I've decided to take the easy road and pretend I don't hear them. This way everybody wins: they have a blast, I get a few things done, and we all go to bed early tonight . . .
This afternoon was glorious. We ate lunch, ran a few errands and headed to the park. At the particular park we visited, the play area is adjacent to several soccer fields bordered by trees.
As we walked toward the swings, Rachel stopped short, her eyes wide, a look of wonder on her face. Puzzled by this sudden change of countenance, I followed her gaze out to the fields, where I saw thousands of small yellow flowers covering sections of the field. The blue sky and green green trees heightened their color, made them seem like little spots of sunshine, dancing and beckoning us to come closer. "Mommy," she whispered, "It's the most beautiful place in the whole world!"
I should explain that there is nothing Rachel loves as much as flowers (with the possible exception of dessert). She insists on keeping an assortment of them on her dresser and is completely devastated every time they die. I have heard at least five times today how David & Lyndie told her she could pick her current dresser bouquet from their yard yesterday. So when she saw that many flowers in one place, she thought she was in heaven.
We spent the next hour among the "buttercups" (I didn't have the heart to tell her they were just weeds) - bright patches of joy that seeped into our souls, erupting into sunny laughter. Rachel picked large bouquets and gave them to me to look after while she went after more. Zekers pulled up handfuls of them, along with a lot of grass, and proudly presented them to me: "It's for you, Mommy." Karis thought they looked like a pretty good afternoon snack.
We played "balance beam" on the bleachers and took turns scoring goals with an imaginary soccer ball. For Zekers, the highlight of the day was seeing a real, honest to goodness, brown hop-toad, who we "rescued" from the play area and set free in the field. I have no way to verify this, but Rach & Zekers both insist he thanked them as he hopped away.
In a few days they probably will have forgotten this afternoon as other memories take its place. But I will treasure it always.
This afternoon was glorious. We ate lunch, ran a few errands and headed to the park. At the particular park we visited, the play area is adjacent to several soccer fields bordered by trees.
As we walked toward the swings, Rachel stopped short, her eyes wide, a look of wonder on her face. Puzzled by this sudden change of countenance, I followed her gaze out to the fields, where I saw thousands of small yellow flowers covering sections of the field. The blue sky and green green trees heightened their color, made them seem like little spots of sunshine, dancing and beckoning us to come closer. "Mommy," she whispered, "It's the most beautiful place in the whole world!"
I should explain that there is nothing Rachel loves as much as flowers (with the possible exception of dessert). She insists on keeping an assortment of them on her dresser and is completely devastated every time they die. I have heard at least five times today how David & Lyndie told her she could pick her current dresser bouquet from their yard yesterday. So when she saw that many flowers in one place, she thought she was in heaven.
We spent the next hour among the "buttercups" (I didn't have the heart to tell her they were just weeds) - bright patches of joy that seeped into our souls, erupting into sunny laughter. Rachel picked large bouquets and gave them to me to look after while she went after more. Zekers pulled up handfuls of them, along with a lot of grass, and proudly presented them to me: "It's for you, Mommy." Karis thought they looked like a pretty good afternoon snack.
We played "balance beam" on the bleachers and took turns scoring goals with an imaginary soccer ball. For Zekers, the highlight of the day was seeing a real, honest to goodness, brown hop-toad, who we "rescued" from the play area and set free in the field. I have no way to verify this, but Rach & Zekers both insist he thanked them as he hopped away.
In a few days they probably will have forgotten this afternoon as other memories take its place. But I will treasure it always.
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