Naked and unashamed

I had this thought last night while I was bathing my children. One of these days, Jay and or Josie will likely cross a line where they are somewhat ashamed of their nakedness. I can hear it now in the echoes of my own voice and the voices of my sisters growing up. “don’t come in here mom!! I’m naked! (that’s Ne-kid, not nay-kid)

I’m not sure what flipped the switch in me, although I’m glad it switched or else things would be weird, but something definitely switched.

Right now, I’m still cherishing these early years while they are still naked and unashamed. They are so much fun. They enjoy life without any of the entrapments of sexuality, puberty, self-consciousness, etc… I think Jay would gladly take up streaking if we let him. Naked just simply isn’t an issue for him.

In my tangled way of relating things, I thought last night about Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. They were Naked (that’s Nay-kid, not Ne-kid) and they were unashamed. They were completely comfortable in the presence of the creator without any shame, remorse, or regrets. They were in complete fellowship with Him.

As I thought about this further, I thought about what Christ has done for us as believers. He has forgiven us. He has cleansed us. He has restored the fractured relationship that existed between God and man. He has made us righteous!! Even in our sinful fallen state, we can be Naked and unashamed before God. We can come before him with confidence that we are redeemed, that we are accepted, we are His!!! Even in all of our imperfections, weaknesses, insecurities, etc…

So, the question remains for me. Why don’t I? Why am I still so often hiding in the bushes from God, like Adam and Eve did, because I am naked and ashamed?

We all need to be naked before God. Be real with Him. He sees through our “clothes” anyway!

Jay hoola hooping!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZAeLe2SjCw

First Degree Spanking

Well, Jay got his first note home from the teacher on Wednesday of this week. He was talking in class after multiple warnings and he wouldn't stay in his seat during lunch. I got a phone call from Sondra around 2pm delivering the bad news. Our immediate thought was that we were going to spank him for his bad behavior. So, for the first time in my parenting life, I was faced with the opportunity to think about having to give a spanking for several hours before the spanking was to actually occur. TORTURE!!! I was disappointed with Jay for his behavior, but not angry. Tons of questions... What actually happened? Did the teacher really do all she could to maintain an orderly classroom that aids students in behaving properly? (as a teacher, I know that 'some' responsibility falls into the teacher's hands for the proper behavior of students) Is this the first of many offenses, or just one isolated occurence?

Jay fessed up to his bad behavior (not that there was any chance I would take his word over Mrs Jones who is a friend of our family). I had him grab the spanking spoon from its place and we headed upstairs... Sondra and I had already decided after a brief face-to-face conference that spanking wasn't warranted in this case and I was certainly relieved, but the presence of the spoon seemed to be an effective attention getting device. Jay lost some priviledges that he loves dearly and was warned that he would lose more priviledges if he repeated these behaviors. So far, he has responded well and is really keen on regaining his losses.

I learned several things through this... First Degree (premeditated) spankings are much more difficult to dole out than the heat of the moment Second degree kind. Ironically, I think the premeditated method may be the best way. Another thing that I learned is that this parenting thing never seems to get any easier. Every turn in life opens up new opportunities for learning how to relate to our kids and discipline them properly. The third thing is that I really miss playing Wii with Jay. Next time, I'll ground him from something I don't enjoy as much as he does:)

My baby boy...

Well, Jay starts Kindergarten tomorrow. I can't believe that it's here already. If I could turn back time right now, I certainly would.

It just seems like yesterday that I held him in my arms for the first time, fed him for the first time, bathed him for the first time, watched him laugh for the first time, take his first steps, say his first words, catch his first fish, etc.. Now, he's going to school...

I think my greatest fear is whether or not I have properly prepared him for what he is going to experience. Does he have a good foundation and a Christian Theistic World View in a culture that is HORRIBLY hostile toward the CTWV? I can only hope because ready or not, it's here.

God help us to prepare our children to be salt and light in a dark world where it is becoming increasingly more difficult to tell the difference.

Watch the ball!

I help coach Jay's t-ball team during games and it's one of the most challenging things I've ever done. They play 2 innings each game because it takes some of the kids about 5 minutes to actually make contact with the ball and determine which direction they should run while the players in the field play tackle baseball trying to get the ball from each other.


About halfway through the first inning at Tuesday's game, I realized that I had probably said "watch the ball" about 40 times and probably said it 100 times before the game was over. Stop playing in the dirt and watch the ball. Stop kicking each other and watch the ball. It occurred to me that it's the basic fundamental skill in learning to play the game of baseball. You MUST keep your eye on the ball. If you don't, you CAN'T be a good baseball player. It's simply impossible to be good at any aspect of the game without learning to watch the ball, and it's the great baseball players that seem to have the uncanny ability to see the ball almost as if it's in slow motion...

In my thoughts on this subject during the game, my mind went to my faith during the 5 minute at bats toward the bottom of the line-ups;) What is the parallel "skill" in Christianity? What is THE foundational "activity" that will ensure success in our faith and without which we will ultimately founder? Some may say that there is no answer to this question and that any answer would be an oversimplification of the faith, but I believe that there is and that overcomplication of the faith is much more of a problem than oversimplification...

The "skill" that is essential to the Christian faith is... Treasuring Christ above all else! This is the essential activity that causes the rest of the "game" to fall into place. Without it, we're just pretending. Where there is no genuine passion and love for Christ, there is only hollow religious activity that will ultimately end in temporal emptiness and eternal dissapointment.

Watch the ball! Love the Lord your God with all your heart! It really is that "simple";)

My Son Jay

Some of my out of town friends have not had the priviledge of meeting my baby boy, Jay. He's a wonder-boy. Here are a few things that I really love about him...

1. He's a GREAT baseball player. Very pretty natural swing with great follow-through and bat speed. It wouldn't surprise me to see him play in the majors someday.

2. He's very smart. He's learning to read a little bit these days, and he's already a numbers whiz which really makes me happy. He can count like a madman. It's a very entertaining passtime in the car these days. Last weekend on the way to church we counted to 200. He said the evens and I said the odds. Of course, I'm still working on his favorite number. Right now, he says his favorite number is 8, but Daddy still pays the bills.

3. He never stops asking questions. Sometimes this really drives me nuts, but I think it's a great quality that is going to take him a long way in life.

4. He loves to fish! I can't wait for the adventures we're going to have on the water.

5. He loves his mother! I love watching Sondra and Jay interact. It reminds me of how special the mother/son bond is. Kinda takes me back to my own childhood with my mom.

6. He's really learning to protect his baby sister. We went on a field trip and he just randomly reported to the class that "I protect my baby sister." They're really getting to be buddies these days.

7. He loves to play the drums. His singing is coming along a little bit, but I'm not super optimistic he will follow in Daddy's shoes on that one:) He does have a little rhythm and loves to hit the skins... Go Jay.

8. He loves watching sports with me, especially football and baseball. He'll watch an entire game with me, or at least until I get tired of him asking me how tall everybody is. What gives on this? "How tall are his shoes dad?"

I could go on and on. There's NOTHING like being a dad to a baby boy. James Wade Hinton II is the man! Geaux Jay! I'm pretty sure he's going to be an outstanding man someday in spite of his dear old daddy.

How Tall is God? Part 3 (final installment)

There was an excellent question raised in the second post related to how we should "choose" our experts. How should we filter through the talking heads to determine who is right and who is wrong in such a way that we aren't just gravitating toward those that are in agreement with what we have already decided is right and true?

I have a set of criteria that I have put together over the years that I think is objective and safe to accomplish the above.

Anyone that I choose to learn from must....

1. Recognize the innerancy, necessity, sufficiency, absolute authority, and holistic nature of the Scriptures. There is an article on this in Wayne Grudem's "Systematic Theology" that is excellent (minus the holistic thing). A correct view of the Scriptures is absolutely necessary. The trend of progressive revelation (from Part 1) would call into question each of these attributes of the scriptures.

2. Believe in the Sovereignty of the triune God in all matters of life. This translates to God-centeredness instead of man-centeredness in conversion and Christian living.

3. Have the correct views on the Person and work of Jesus Christ as taught in Scriptures. Specifically related to person hood, his deity and his sinless life (virgin birth is necessary here). Related to the work of Jesus Christ are his Atoning death without which there is NO hope for redemption, and his Imputed Righteousness without which we can achieve no favorable standing with God by our own efforts.

There are other things that are quite important that aren't on this list, but they generally will follow from these three.

I will read and research many other views and learn good stuff even from people that are border-line heretical, but I choose not to spend a whole lot of money and energy picking out the bones when there are countless experts from which to choose and learn from that are putting out nice boneless cuts of truth.

I'd go as far as to suggest that if your criteria is a new one, or if it's drastically different from this one that it will lead to heresy pretty quickly. The pillars of the faith are tested and true. Stand on them, question of them, and grow in the faith and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

How Tall is God?, Part 2

From Part 1... In many ways God is far simpler than the scientific fields because he can be known by even the simple minds of children. On the other hand, he truly is vast and immeasurable and far more complex than all of the scientific disciplines combined. So, why would we ever stop asking questions? How could we ever not think that we have WAY more to learn than we have already discovered? Why would we ever stop examining the Scriptures, reading and evaluating the "experts", and listening to great minds teach about him? I think that we have a tendency to get comfortable with where we are, what we know, and we don't really want to be challenged any more. We have God in our little box and that's where we want to keep him.

I have thought about this post a little more and I have decided that the paragraph above could use a little expansion. The reason being that it's important not just to evaluate, but to evaluate properly. There is a right way to study the scriptures and there are right "experts" and there are wrong "experts." So, ultimately, what makes them right and what makes them wrong and how do we determine this?

How can two people read the scriptures and walk away from them with opposing points of view both equally convinced that their views are correct with what they would consider to be sound biblical arguments? The answer to this question is that they are using different methods of studying the scriptures or bringing different agendas to the scriptures. The fancy shmancy theological answer is that they are using different hermeneutics.

A popular hermeneutic in our current Christian climate is a hermeneutic that I call "progressive revelation". I'm not sure if I heard this somewhere or not, or if there is a better label for it, but this one is pretty descriptive of what it is. This hermeneutic is espoused pretty heavily by some teachers in the emergent camps. In a nutshell it is very similar to the way many political liberals interpret the constitution of the US as a living document that has different meaning based on current cultural values. Right to bear arms is one of the victims of this type of interpretation. Freedom of speech is one that is victimized in the opposing direction.

Ordination of homosexuals and devaluation of roles within marriage are a couple of good examples that spring directly from this hermeneutic. To counteract this faulty hermeneutic, we must do a couple of things. First, we must be aware that it exists and that to some degree or another nearly everyone under the age of 40 has been infected by it. Secondly, we must hold on to the time-proven and tested teachings of the faith.

I heard a pastor once tell how he prepared for sermons (sorry can't remember who it was). He said that he would read the book of the Bible that he was going to teach on numerous times and make annotations on the book each time with thoughts and ideas about what the passage was saying. After this process, he would then finally search out the expert opinions of several commentaries on the book. Then, he would do something that I think is very wise. He would throw out any of his ideas about the meanings that weren't present in any of the commentaries that he studied.

Why do I think this is wise? While the fields of Science are expanding fields with new facts being discovered every day, Christianity is established, stable, true, and without the need or possibility of expansion. The church is built on the life, teachings, and sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, and the teachings of the apostles. These truths are all revealed in the Scriptures and contrary to current cultural forces today truth exists can be known.

So, our quest for truth and learning how to discover the truth that already exists should be the motivating force behind our questions. It's not just about asking the questions. It's about asking the right questions of the right people that will lead to the discovery of truth.

How Tall is God?

This is my inquisitive son, Jay. I don't know if all 4-year-old boys are like him or not, but Jay asks about 1000 questions a day. Sometimes it seems more like 1000 questions a minute:) If we are watching TV, he wants to know who all the people are, who's the biggest, who's the littlest, why are they happy, why are they sad, where are they going? He asks so many questions that he doesn't even watch the show or hear what is going on. When we read a book in the evenings, it's the same scenario. I can hardly get through a sentence without being interupted. Question after question after question after...

One of my favorite questions that he has asked is "How tall is God?" It was difficult to explain to Jay the concept that God has no size and that he is immesurable, but I made a nice effort. Immediately on the heels of my attempted answer came the next logical question, of course. "Dad, how tall is Jesus?" That one was a little easier to answer. I was able to explain to him that Jesus once walked the earth in a human body and that he was probably about 5.5' tall, and that now Jesus is in heaven and we're not real sure how tall he is now, but we'll find out some day.

Kids learn at warp speed because they know that they have a lot to learn and because they are SO inquisitive. As adults, we lose our speed of learning for the antithesis of these reasons. We think we no longer have a lot to learn so we stop asking questions.

I have a Master of Science degree in mathematics and it didn't take me long into the master's program to realize that getting an MS is really just designed to show you that everything you learned in your undergraduate degree was really just barely scratching the surface of the subject. There are worlds of things to be learned and even discovered in every scientific discipline and it doesn't take long to discover this. Every question that gets asked and answered opens up frontiers of new questions that have to be considered.

In many ways God is far simpler than the scientific fields because he can be known by even the simple minds of children. On the other hand, he truly is vast and immeasurable and far more complex than all of the scientific disciplines combined. So, why would we ever stop asking questions? How could we ever not think that we have WAY more to learn than we have already discovered? Why would we ever stop examining the Scriptures, reading and evaluating the "experts", and listening to great minds teach about him? I think that we have a tendency to get comfortable with where we are, what we know, and we don't really want to be challenged any more. We have God in our little box and that's where we want to keep him.

Destroy the Box!!! There's a false god in there.

If Jay stopped asking questions right now, he would stay socially and intellectually 4 yrs old. The same thing is true of many of us spiritually because we have stopped driving ourselves to know more of God and more about God. Question EVERYTHING, especially the foundations of the faith. Don't worry, it's true and it will withstand every question that you can throw at it, but there will be times when you get scared because you will realize that what you've thought, believed, and in same cases even taught others stands on the shaky ground of half-truth and false-hood.

Dig into the Scriptures and make your pastors and mentors shudder to see you coming knowing that you're about to ask them a question that they've never really put a lot of thought into. Make them think that you really believe there is still a vast world of knowledge out there and that the only way to attain it is to ask question after question after question...

I strongly recommend a guy named Ravi Zacharias (http://www.rzim.org/) in areas of apologetics. He has a great podcast on itunes and tons of resources on his website. Check him out and others as well. (This recommendation didn't age very well. Ravi didn't finish well. Doesn't discount everything he ever said and certainly not the questions he asked, but still...)

How tall is God?

1000 Baths

More often than not in the evenings it is usually my responsibility to bathe my two children. Since they were both babies, I found it a lot easier to just get in the bath tub with them, so most evenings around 7:30 or 8:00, we round up the kids and head to the bathtub. I get in the tub and bathe the kids and Sondra gets them out when they are done.

Tonight in the bath (bubble bath) it occurred to me that I have probably at this point in Jay's life (he's 4) given him over 1000 baths. We had a blast in the bubbles tonight because Josie and Jay both discovered that they could make me look like a snowman pretty easily. Jay also discovered that a washcloth wadded tightly and dipped in bubbles looks a lot like a snow ball. So, we had our own little version of a snowball fight in the tub.

My afterthoughts about this experience took me to how many baths have fallen into the mundane, boring, and (sorry to say) burdensome. These days are FLYING by, and yet I waste so many of them. There have probably been 1000 bath times in the tub with Jay. There will probably not be 1000 more with him, and because Josie is a girl, we may not even make it to 1000:(

May God help us all to find joy in the ordinary things with our children and make them extraordinary. How many things will we get to do with our kids 1000 times?