From the "Daily Thoughts" email that Mack Tomlinson sends out...
The Gospel
Let us be clear regarding the gospel. The gospel is not a thing. The gospel is not an event. The gospel is not a promotion. The gospel is not a work of man. The gospel is not a system. The gospel is not a method. The gospel is a proclamation of the person of Jesus Christ. The apostles proclaimed Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected from the dead, and in like fashion, the church of the 21st century ought to do the same.
The gospel is to be proclaimed. The gospel does not need a gimmick. The gospel does not need the wisdom of man. The gospel does not need any help from people who come up with cutting edge ideas. The gospel does not need additions. The gospel does not need subtractions. The responsibility of the church is to rightly proclaim the glory of the person, Jesus Christ, who is the gospel. Men, women, boys and girls, are to respond to Jesus. The proclamation of the gospel is for the glory of God and not the glory of man. To mix the gospel with other things is to detract from the person of Jesus Christ and ultimately to lead men to idolatry and damnation in hell. The apostles proclaimed the person of the gospel without gimmicks.
-- Randall Easter
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Long Time, No Blog
I realize it's been almost a month since I've written anything. The long absence is pretty easily explained: I've been too busy to write, and the things I've been busy doing have been too dull to write about. :) Not that they aren't important--I think every diaper change and load of laundry is significant--they just make for boring narrative.
Ella will be six months old on the 27th. Hard to believe! It's gone by so fast. We just started her on cereal on Monday, and she loves it. I've also been making and freezing all of her baby food. It's actually a LOT of fun. As far as savings, I haven't worked out an overall number yet, and it varies from item to item...but compared to $ 0.50 a serving for jarred baby food, the homemade food has been anywhere from $ 0.10 a serving to $ 0.40 a serving. So it is cheaper. Of course you have to put in a little time, but it hasn't been that hard. Once or twice I've strapped Ella into the carrier while I work on it...she's quite fascinated with the blender. Anyway, she's a lot of fun these days. I'm uploading some videos--one of her laughing at Coda (she LOVES her dog and laughs at everything he does), and another of her squealing--that I hope to share with you tonight or tomorrow.
Johnny and I had a low-key but fun Valentine's Day. My mom watched Ella, and we went out to eat at On the Border, where I succeeded in spilling a whole bowl of some sort of sauce all over myself, the seat, and the floor. Ha. Actually, I remember thinking how big of a deal that would have been to me on any Valentine's Day date before I married Johnny...being married sure does take the pressure out of dates. :) After dinner (which, by the way, included a very helpful and candid discussion about how each person could be a better spouse), Johnny took me to Borders to pick out some books. I bought Emma by Jane Austen (which, I'm ashamed to say, I've already finished, in spite of having many other things I could have been doing) and The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien. After that, we ended up just running some errands at Target and going to pick up our baby girl. We did watch part of a movie after she went to sleep for the night. Like I said, low-key, but very enjoyable.
A whole month without writing, and I've already run out of new things to say. :) I'll have those fun videos up soon...and before too long, I'll be posting her six-month pictures. Crazy!
Ella will be six months old on the 27th. Hard to believe! It's gone by so fast. We just started her on cereal on Monday, and she loves it. I've also been making and freezing all of her baby food. It's actually a LOT of fun. As far as savings, I haven't worked out an overall number yet, and it varies from item to item...but compared to $ 0.50 a serving for jarred baby food, the homemade food has been anywhere from $ 0.10 a serving to $ 0.40 a serving. So it is cheaper. Of course you have to put in a little time, but it hasn't been that hard. Once or twice I've strapped Ella into the carrier while I work on it...she's quite fascinated with the blender. Anyway, she's a lot of fun these days. I'm uploading some videos--one of her laughing at Coda (she LOVES her dog and laughs at everything he does), and another of her squealing--that I hope to share with you tonight or tomorrow.
Johnny and I had a low-key but fun Valentine's Day. My mom watched Ella, and we went out to eat at On the Border, where I succeeded in spilling a whole bowl of some sort of sauce all over myself, the seat, and the floor. Ha. Actually, I remember thinking how big of a deal that would have been to me on any Valentine's Day date before I married Johnny...being married sure does take the pressure out of dates. :) After dinner (which, by the way, included a very helpful and candid discussion about how each person could be a better spouse), Johnny took me to Borders to pick out some books. I bought Emma by Jane Austen (which, I'm ashamed to say, I've already finished, in spite of having many other things I could have been doing) and The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien. After that, we ended up just running some errands at Target and going to pick up our baby girl. We did watch part of a movie after she went to sleep for the night. Like I said, low-key, but very enjoyable.
A whole month without writing, and I've already run out of new things to say. :) I'll have those fun videos up soon...and before too long, I'll be posting her six-month pictures. Crazy!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Update on Ella
After we went to the doctor last week, they put Ella on amoxicillin for a throat infection. She was on the medicine for 2 complete days, then on the third day, a bad rash broke out all over her. She was really red, splotchy, and itchy, and she fussed a lot and wouldn't sleep. We continued the medicine that day, not knowing for sure what was causing the rash, but then we called the doctor that night. He said that Tylenol would help her enough to let her sleep, and then to call in the morning. Well, the rash disappeared overnight. When we called back, they told us she'd probably had a skin reaction to the amoxicillin. That was on Friday; they told us to take her off the medicine and then bring her in Monday for them to check on her throat and see whether or not she needed another prescription. When the doctor looked at her yesterday, he said her throat looked fine, so no need for more medicine. Apparently three days was enough. And no other signs of the itchy rash, so I guess it really was the medicine. Made for kind of a crazy week, but she's fine now and we're glad. :)
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Ella's first real "bug"
Ella is sick.
She's not extra fussy or cranky, not running a real high temp. She's eating, she's sleeping, she's (mostly) cheerful and alert.
But she's sick.
A few days after her four month check-up, her right eye started watering a lot. I didn't think too much of it at first. It kept watering, so I watched it a little more closely. Just a few days ago, I began to notice some of the yellowish goo. So I called and talked to the nurse, and they said to bring her in.
When we went in, they asked me a lot of questions: is she rubbing her ears? No. Running a fever? No. Extra fussy? Not at all. Is she eating well? Plenty. Sleeping well? Better than ever.
Well, the PA comes in and starts looking her over. She asks some similar questions. Then she explains that anytime there appears to be any sort of problem or infection in the eye, they always check the ears and the throat for signs of infection. Ella did NOT want them to look in her ears, but eventually, with the nurse holding her down, the PA was able to see in her ears. Some wax build-up, she said, but no signs of infection. Then she looked at her throat, and her eyes got really big. "Wow," she said, and told me that Ella's throat looked terrible. She looked at me and said, "You told me she's still eating?" and then immediately asked the nurse to take her temp. Their thermometer broke and they never got an accurate temp, but the PA said, "it doesn't matter. I'm going to treat her anyway." Apparently, Ella has a throat infection--the tell-tale redness with white patches. The PA explained that it was probably the same bacteria that was affecting her eye as well. So, my little 4 1/2 month old girlie is on her first batch of Amoxicillin. :( So sad!
The PA told me to watch Ella closely in the future, since she seems to be one of those babies who doesn't make a big fuss about being sick. I mean, I never, ever would have known. In a way, I guess it's ok--it's not like I want a super-cranky baby right now--but it scared me a little that she could have something that bad without me even knowing about it!!
Not much else to tell, really, except that she's interacting a lot and she's cuter than ever! I'll try to post some pictures later this week.
She's not extra fussy or cranky, not running a real high temp. She's eating, she's sleeping, she's (mostly) cheerful and alert.
But she's sick.
A few days after her four month check-up, her right eye started watering a lot. I didn't think too much of it at first. It kept watering, so I watched it a little more closely. Just a few days ago, I began to notice some of the yellowish goo. So I called and talked to the nurse, and they said to bring her in.
When we went in, they asked me a lot of questions: is she rubbing her ears? No. Running a fever? No. Extra fussy? Not at all. Is she eating well? Plenty. Sleeping well? Better than ever.
Well, the PA comes in and starts looking her over. She asks some similar questions. Then she explains that anytime there appears to be any sort of problem or infection in the eye, they always check the ears and the throat for signs of infection. Ella did NOT want them to look in her ears, but eventually, with the nurse holding her down, the PA was able to see in her ears. Some wax build-up, she said, but no signs of infection. Then she looked at her throat, and her eyes got really big. "Wow," she said, and told me that Ella's throat looked terrible. She looked at me and said, "You told me she's still eating?" and then immediately asked the nurse to take her temp. Their thermometer broke and they never got an accurate temp, but the PA said, "it doesn't matter. I'm going to treat her anyway." Apparently, Ella has a throat infection--the tell-tale redness with white patches. The PA explained that it was probably the same bacteria that was affecting her eye as well. So, my little 4 1/2 month old girlie is on her first batch of Amoxicillin. :( So sad!
The PA told me to watch Ella closely in the future, since she seems to be one of those babies who doesn't make a big fuss about being sick. I mean, I never, ever would have known. In a way, I guess it's ok--it's not like I want a super-cranky baby right now--but it scared me a little that she could have something that bad without me even knowing about it!!
Not much else to tell, really, except that she's interacting a lot and she's cuter than ever! I'll try to post some pictures later this week.
Thoughts from Ezra
A couple of days ago I finished reading through the book of Ezra. One thing that really struck me is the concern that Ezra had for God's honor. For one thing, he doesn't ask the king for soldiers to protect them on their way to Jerusalem, because he wants the king to know that God is good to His people and able to protect His people:
8:21-23 "Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our goods. For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us against the enemy on our way, since we had told the king, 'The hand of our God is for good on all who seek him, and the power of his wrath is against all who forsake him.' So we fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty."
Even though he's praying for protection, he's not doing so for his own sake, because he's afraid or just wants to be safe--he prays this way for the sake of the Lord's name, that the king (and others) would see God's faithfulness to His people.
Second...and this is the one that really struck me... in chapter 9, when Ezra finds out about all the Israelites who have intermarried, he doesn't go immediately to the people who sinned. Instead, he tears his garment, and then he goes to God:
9:6 "saying, 'O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens.'"
Wait...our guilt? Ezra didn't do anything! I mean, it's sad, but if this were me, I know I'd be praying "they," "their guilt," "those other people," you know, to make sure that everyone knew I wasn't a part of this. But Ezra isn't concerned with separating himself from "those other Israelites," or with his own reputation, or any of that. He's broken over the fact that God's people have sinned against Him; never mind the fact that Ezra wasn't the one who did the sinning.
9:13-10:1 "'And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, seeing that you, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserved and have given us such a remnant as this, shall we break your commandments again and intermarry with the peoples who practice these abominations? Would you not be angry with us until you consumed us, so that there should be no remnant, nor any to escape? O LORD the God of Israel, you are just, for we are left a remnant that has escaped, just as it is today. Behold we are before you in our guilt, for none can stand befor eyou because of this.' While Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, a very great assembly of men, women, and children, gathered to him out of Israel, for the people wept bitterly."
...I want ALL sin to grieve me because it grieves God, and because I'm concerned for the honor due His name...but sometimes, I can be sort of double-minded in this: on the one hand, I really am grieved by the things that grieve the Lord. But at the same time, I can be pretty eager to have my own name cleared.
Not Ezra.
And soon, I trust, by the grace of God...not Danielle Vogt.
8:21-23 "Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our goods. For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us against the enemy on our way, since we had told the king, 'The hand of our God is for good on all who seek him, and the power of his wrath is against all who forsake him.' So we fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty."
Even though he's praying for protection, he's not doing so for his own sake, because he's afraid or just wants to be safe--he prays this way for the sake of the Lord's name, that the king (and others) would see God's faithfulness to His people.
Second...and this is the one that really struck me... in chapter 9, when Ezra finds out about all the Israelites who have intermarried, he doesn't go immediately to the people who sinned. Instead, he tears his garment, and then he goes to God:
9:6 "saying, 'O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens.'"
Wait...our guilt? Ezra didn't do anything! I mean, it's sad, but if this were me, I know I'd be praying "they," "their guilt," "those other people," you know, to make sure that everyone knew I wasn't a part of this. But Ezra isn't concerned with separating himself from "those other Israelites," or with his own reputation, or any of that. He's broken over the fact that God's people have sinned against Him; never mind the fact that Ezra wasn't the one who did the sinning.
9:13-10:1 "'And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, seeing that you, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserved and have given us such a remnant as this, shall we break your commandments again and intermarry with the peoples who practice these abominations? Would you not be angry with us until you consumed us, so that there should be no remnant, nor any to escape? O LORD the God of Israel, you are just, for we are left a remnant that has escaped, just as it is today. Behold we are before you in our guilt, for none can stand befor eyou because of this.' While Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, a very great assembly of men, women, and children, gathered to him out of Israel, for the people wept bitterly."
...I want ALL sin to grieve me because it grieves God, and because I'm concerned for the honor due His name...but sometimes, I can be sort of double-minded in this: on the one hand, I really am grieved by the things that grieve the Lord. But at the same time, I can be pretty eager to have my own name cleared.
Not Ezra.
And soon, I trust, by the grace of God...not Danielle Vogt.
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