Jun
18
52home
Filed under Biblical Womanhood | 52home3:53 p.m.
Last year, when the U.S. Open was played in Bethesda Maryland, the Mahaney clan had the privilege of hosting Webb Simpson, his lovely wife, Dowd, and their baby boy, James, for dinner. It was a delightful evening—in spite of the intermittent rain which forced us to take our outdoor meal inside for a time.
This young couple is humble, earnest, and lots of fun. They graciously shared their time and opened their lives to us—answering all our questions about how they met, came to know Jesus Christ, and how Webb got started in golf. Webb even gave the guys a brief golf lesson before the night was over.
Two things impressed me most about Webb and Dowd. First of all, their gratitude to God for His mercy in the cross of Jesus Christ, and for giving them to each other. And secondly, their earnest desire to glorify the Savior—not just publicly on the PGA Tour, which Webb does consistently and unashamedly—but in their day-to-day life that no one sees: in their marriage, in their parenting, in their church.
So, as you can imagine, there was lots of cheering in the Mahaney household last night when Webb Simpson won the U.S. Open. We’re still cheering this morning!
Equally impressive was Dowd’s support of her husband—she walked all eighteen holes, even though she is seven months pregnant!
Congratulations you guys! We love you and pray God will continue to strengthen your marriage, your family, and your gospel witness.
Cliff Huxtable on why moms get better presents for Mother’s Day than dads do on Father’s Day. HT: Thabiti Anyabwile
Have a wonderful Father’s Day Weekend!
Carolyn for the girls
When we go online we are searching for something. It may be an email or the latest news or a DIY decorating project. But quite often there is more to our search than what we type into google. We may be searching for the feeling of affirmation we get when someone likes our status update on Facebook or sends us a direct message. Or we search to satiate our curiosity—about people we know, their distant relations, celebrities we will never meet. We may be searching for the pleasure that comes from imagining the delectable food we can create, the gorgeous rooms we can remake.
Searching, searching, searching. We spend so much time searching; but how rarely do we find satisfaction. As studies and our own experience tell us, Facebook and other social media can actually leave us more unsettled and unhappy than before. But still we keep searching. The question is: what are we searching for?
In Deuteronomy God tells the Israelites that one day they will turn from serving idols and “from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul” (4.29). This promise was ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Through His atoning death and resurrection we can turn from our idols and find God! And our search for God will fully and forever satisfy!
But this promise is conditional. We will find God only if we search, and only if we search with all our heart and all our soul. So what—or who—is your heart and soul searching after today?
Summer is an ideal time for kids to listen. Road Trips, long hours of play, even short drives to the pool can all be times to make memories and fill their minds with truth. Here are a few favorites our kids are listening to this summer:
Deliberate Kids 2 - This cd by Phil Joel is two years old but new to our family. Jude and Sophie have learned a lot of English through music since they’ve been home. I wish you could have been at the ice cream shop the other day when Sophie belted out the “I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream” song ending it with the words: “Old Testament!” You’ll have to get the cd to find out why she thinks that’s the way you sing this American song.
Slugs and Bugs - Our entire family loves these cds, and that includes us parents. I can’t tell you how sweet it is to hear Jude sing “I’m Adopted.”
The Chronicles of Narnia - by now you’ve heard of these, but if you haven’t purchased them yet, please do. These are some of the best audio stories for children (and adults) ever.
Bible Stories - Tori and Sophie listen and follow along to the Word and Song Bible in the mornings for their devotions. Soon we’ll transition to the Jesus Storybook Bible. For kids who can’t read it is great to have audio to go with their storybook Bibles.
Sermons - Jack and Jude often fall asleep listening to sermons by Daddy or Pop-Pop. Consider downloading a few of your pastor’s sermons for your children.
What are your summer listening favorites for kids?
At bedtime lately, I’ve been enjoying a little light reading (on my Iphone!) with the free download of the Agatha Christie mystery novels. In Murder on the Links, the famous detective Hercule Poirot goes head to head with another, younger detective who is full of modern ideas and methods. When they first meet, his rival addresses him with a thinly veiled condescension:
“‘I know you by name, Monsieur Poirot,’ he said. ‘You cut quite a figure in the old days, didn’t you? But methods are very different now.’
‘Crimes, though, are very much the same,’ remarked Poirot gently.”
Methods are certainly different now. The Internet has radically transformed our way of doing just about everything in the space of a few years. And it shows no signs of stopping. The latest technology, websites, and social media platforms we use today may very well be outdated or obsolete by this time next year.
Crimes, though, are very much the same. We still drink from the polluted waters of our sinful desires instead of guarding our hearts with all diligence. We still nibble at the same table of the world as did our ancestors. And our diversions may be more accessible than ever before, but the urge to escape reality is nothing new.
That’s why as Christians we must flee to the cross and to our Savior Jesus Christ who “is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Rom 13.8). Our online temptations or sins have not put us beyond the reach of His forgiveness or His power to change our hearts. His promises remain:
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9)
and
“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence” (2 Pet. 1:3).
So as we consider ways our online habits and actions may need to change in order to line up with God’s Word, let our methods always start and end at the cross of Jesus Christ.
