Walking with the Wise

Hey moms - looking for some new Bible-centered, gospel-saturated, truth-full tunes to add to your kids music library? Look no further than Sovereign Grace Music's newest kids album, Walking with the Wise. As the SGM music site says, "Walking with the Wise contains thirteen songs all inspired by Proverbs, and all meant to encourage kids to joyfully follow God’s commands." Sounds good to me!

We just downloaded the CD this weekend and let me tell you, I already think it's great. Here's a little sampling:

1. W-I-S-D-O-M

W-I-S-D-O-M spells wisdom, I need it
W-I-S-D-O-M in Your Word, I find it

2. Where It All Begins

Here's the key to every door
It is when we know the fear of the Lord

3. Nuggets of Gold

Your Word's got nuggets of gold
A treasure for my soul

4. Trust in the Lord

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding

5. Make Me Wise

Lord, I want to bring You glory
So I'm asking You to make me wise

6. A Good Friend

A friend will always think of others
A friend will overlook a wrong

7. I Don’t Have to Hide

Jesus died so I don't have to hide anymore

8. To Tell the Truth

You never break a promise
We can trust all You say

9. Lazy Bones

When we work to please the Lord
God will make our plans secure
And He'll be glorified in all we do

10. A Cheerful Heart

Oh Jesus fill me with Your joy
And I will sing Your praise

11. All Ears

When my mouth is jumping at something to say
I'll be all ears

12. A Generous Heart

God has shown us how to give
He offered up His Son so we might live

13. Who Can Say

No one's blameless in God's holy eyes
That's why the Savior came

Hmm... are they sure this is a kids CD? This music not only lays a solid foundation for my son, but encourages and lifts me up in the truths I've already experienced!

Do your kids and yourself a favor and get the CD today.

This Really Cute Story...

"There's this really cute story in the Bible. It's about this woman named Woman at the Well."


I saw a woman on TV say that last night, and I've had a stomachache ever since. The mental image I got (and some of you worldly people my age will catch this reference--let's repent together) was of Jessica Simpson and her mom shopping and saying "this is cute" about every single thing they liked, which was a lot.

Flip through the pages of Scripture. This is cute. Don't like that. This is cute. This is cute. Look at this--this is cute. No, I don't like that one--it makes me look like a sinner.

The Bible is not cute. Ever see a cute razor-sharp sword? The Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword. It pierces like a surgeon's scalpel, slicing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow. I've had surgery. It's not cute--it's bloody and painful and you don't just walk away from it, even if your surgeon is the best in the world. It discerns the thoughts and intentions of the heart. That's not cute. That's in the realm of can-I-please-find-a-mountain-to-fall-on-me-terrifying. We have nowhere to run and nowhere to hide from him to whom we must give account. We are completely exposed before God. God knows the depths of my sin. Cute?

Girls. Sisters. I'm so thankful that we are members of a church where we are exhorted to be skilled in the word. We can't let up. There is no excuse that can trump God's command to be skilled in the word of righteousness. It's easy to be sweet Christian girls and women, but sweet personalities will not lead us to the living Christ. We need to search the Scriptures for Christ, or we will lose touch with the real reality.

The Gospel is not a cute story. We are so wicked that it took the death of a perfect Messiah to atone for us. We need to guard our hearts and our minds, lest our understanding become trivial and commonplace. Babies are cute. The Lord Jesus Christ is unspeakably majestic. Summer dresses and sandals are cute. The Bible is a weapon of war. We are in a trench, not a department store. We are soldiers, not shoppers. We need ammunition, not another outfit. May God help us to be wise women, students of his word, believers of every word he has said!

Update on Ava

I've been keeping tabs on Ava's story since I first posted about it.

I love love love how the Hunter family is handling the situation. Just the other day, they put out a plea on their blog for a research team--basically anyone who could find any kind of GBM cancer treatment that had been done with any kind of success. The word from Josh (Ava's dad) is that they've received all of the resources they can handle and are officially shutting down the research team! They'll be combing over the details while they await a final diagnosis from the doctors and will be praying for wisdom in deciding upon the best course of action for Ava.

I wanted to share just a couple of excerpts from Josh's blog:

Many of you have asked us how Noah is doing. He is doing well. He is fully aware of the challenges ahead and is fired-up about being part of "Team Ava" as we readjust our lives to get her better. He is a great kid and loves his sister. He knows that "Hunters don't quit and Hunter's don't whine". Those two things have been built into him since he was born (just like they were in me)...they will serve him well. He's as ready as any 11 year old can be to join in the battle.

The Onc Doc came in today and said "It may be a few days before we have confirmation of the diagnosis." I said, "No problem, we aren't anxious or worried. It is what it is and we are gonna do what we have to do." He looked perplexed that I wasn't more concerned and then he left the room. What he doesn't know is that I trust God for Ava's health, not whatever plan he and his cohorts put together. God is the healer...the docs just help the body do what God created it to do. I think he forgot that today. All the best docs in the world can't heal a body that isn't supposed to be. They are mere men with an opinion. Granted, they went to school for a million years to form that opinion, but at the end of the day...it's all a best guess.

That's why leaning on God makes most sense. I don't mean sitting idle. I mean trusting Him to lead us on the right path for Ava. I care little who tells me I'm nuts if I am following what God has told me. I don't ever hear an audible voice, but I expect Him to open the doors that need to be open and close the ones that should be closed. My promise is to walk through the open ones with Lisa as we pursue healing for Ava.

Please keep praying for Josh, Lisa, Noah, especially Ava, and the entire Hunter family.

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UPDATE: Ava is home!

We reached milestone 1. Ava is well enough from her surgery to be on her own. We packed up the uhaul and left the hospital at about 1pm today. That was great to get out of there. Ava doesn't miss it one bit. That victory was enough to get us to this moment...the real work begins now.

The second part of the mission is to get Ava well and rid of cancer. Honestly, it's hard to even type that. We know the journey ahead is long and arduous. We pray that we will have the strength to lean on God each day and look for only what He wants from us for that day. I'm not very good at that. Fortunately, Lisa is. So, at least I have someone to look up to.

Safely Home (3)

How's the reading going?

I'll admit to falling into a similar trap as Gayline did - I have finished the book. An engaging book with long plane rides with long layovers will do that to you.

One thing I'm curious to know is what you've been learning about the persecuted church in China. I will admit to being totally unaware of the history behind the Boxers (mentioned in the book) and so I did a little bit of internet research while we were out in California last week. Tim and I had a great discussion about it.

If you don't know about the Boxers either, I suggest you look it up. Just google "Boxer Rebellion" or "Boxer Uprising." Surprisingly, wikipedia has quite a bit of good information.


So, what has reading Safely Home taught you about the persecuted church in China?


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We'd like to start our next book, The Hiding Place sometime in mid-July. Make sure to place your order with Bruce at the bookstore, or check it out an Amazon.

A Theology of Cherry Pie

Robbie and I went sour cherry picking on Monday, and last night I turned unappetizingly sour fruits into the most delicious pie filling. You would never want to sit down with a bowl full of sour cherries. They are so sour and tart. Even the most perfect-looking sour cherry is not tempting when you know what's on the inside.

But I took out their hard little hearts, those stony pits, and I washed them clean of the dust that clung to them. I added sugar to them, and after a little while on the stove, they were starting to smell pretty good. I added a cornstarch slurry, which isn't there because it tastes good but because without it, the cherries would just be a runny mess. A little cinnamon, a little almond extract, and these sour cherries are ready to be baked in a delicious, sweet pie.

I can't take much credit--God made the cherry and the sugar cane and the water I used for rinsing and the elements I used for cooking and the taste buds I use for tasting and the mind I used to follow the recipe. I can't make a cherry pie without his enabling. He is a creative, diverse, ordered, good God.

But what's even better is that God is doing to me what I did to the cherries.