my baby turns 1 year old in 3 days!

So, I know there's a link to her blog (much better maintained by her mother) than this one, but I thought I should point it out.

She turns 1 year old on Sunday. I can't believe it.

I know many people who finally have a kid and they're like "oh it's just the most wonderful experience. I don't know why we ever waited..."

I've not have any feelings wishing we'd have done this sooner. I enjoyed our life before Ivy came along. And I think it really did take that long for me to really be ready. But, it is a wonderful experience. She is so awesome and so much fun and I love her more than I could ever imagine.

Words fail. I love her. I'm blessed beyond measure.

Infuze

This is a web-site that I visit quite often. They've just done a major rebuild on the site and they're having glitches with the commenting. So, I'm commenting on my own blog. If anybody cares.

First, I shouldn't have read this interview of Casting Crowns. I knew it would just piss me off. The one comment (by the founder of the online magazine, so I guess his commenting works) points out exactly the problem I have and have always had with this band. I wonder why an interview with this particular band is actually on this web-site.

First: Propaganda as art makes for bad art and bad propaganda. period.

Second: The fact that CC exploded when they did and how big they did does not indicate God's providence. When will people learn that God's economy is not the same as man's? It simply indicates that they hit on a perfect formula for a particular time. I guess the church was wanting a hip pop/country/MOR "band" that channeled Steven Curtis Chapman. Are you kidding me? The guy sounds exactly like SCC.

?

The strange thing is that I grew up in the church. When I was a sr. in high school, I was pretty much the only "church-going" kid in my whole class. I was a good kid and I didn't really get in trouble.

I ended up going to Bible college. Why? I look back now, and I think I just went because I didn't know what else to do. In some ways, I can see how that experience contributed to my formation; not least of which would be the fact that's where I found Holly. And I will be the first and loudest to say that I am blessed beyond reason for her.

If I had it to do all over again, I might not have gone to college at all and definately not right after graduation and probably not to a Bible college.

I know a lot of people that spend all of their time reading about, discussing, debating, contemplating theology. Theology- The study of the nature of God and religious truth. I don't see the point. I'm getting to the place where the nature of God is simply love and that truth was truth whether it wears a religious tag or not. I mean really, does all this theological debate and study engender "faith like a child"?

There used to be a time when I would argue to death a theological belief that I held strongly with somebody else who thought differently. Now, it seems to me that an argument like that is not only unknowable and completely un-winnable, but completely worthless in terms any thing of real value. If anything, that kind of argument causes outsiders to shake their heads in disgust at the futility and irrelevance of our pursuits.

Just another reason, that if it weren't for New Springs (now) I think I'd be taking a long, complete break from christendom.

Feel free to respond to this, but I reserve the right to not respond to your response.

grace on late night

Between going to bed a little earlier lately and rabbit ears not providing the entertainment possibilities that it used to, I've not been catching much late night TV for awhile. My friend, Mike, mentioned this on his blog.

This is the 2nd time I've seen Ferguson use his opening monologue to speak grace to the late night viewing audience. The other time, he talked about his father who had just passed away.

This is even more impressive. This guy is a comedian. A "secular" comedian with a late night show and an opening monologue. Britney Spears spent the weekend shaving her head and dealing with rehab. What could anybody expect a late night comedian to talk about?

He spends 12 minutes talking about his own sobriety and how Britney Spears shouldn't be ridiculed and made fun of, but that somebody should help her. She's 25 and has 2 kids and obviously she's having some problems. Why is everybody joking about her and nobody is helping her?

Are you kidding me? The only reason the church folk wouldn't be celebrating this example of grace would be because this late night comedian did a better job than we have.

Piano crash was 'worst nightmare'

My friend, T-Rev, emailed this link to me. I just think it's funny that he sent it to me the day before I'm getting up in the morning to go help move my first piano since last July.