what vomit under the Christmas tree teaches me about the Glorious Incarnation

By: Abigail Dodds
body of Christ, everyday, , 4 Comments on what vomit under the Christmas tree teaches me about the Glorious Incarnation

It’s been a long couple months at the Dodds’ house.

From German yellow jackets nesting between our ceiling and floor to washers and water heaters on the fritz to being rear ended at a stop sign to the stomach flu taking us out one by one over the course of a month and a half.   I feel like we’ve been through the ringer.

And Tuesday, the 21st, as I’m thinking of the million and one things I still have to do before Christmas arrives, our son walks into my bathroom with a face as white as snow with the sad tale of having not made it to the bowl.  Hence the vomit under the Christmas tree.  Poor guy.

So, I commence clean up, unwrapping presents covered with the unspeakable stuff and start to wonder what this is all about anyway.  I start going over all the things we’re supposed to do that we may not now be able to do this Christmas.  And, thanks be to God, I remember Jesus.

Jesus, who came to earth in the only way any of us do.  In a mess.  Maybe Mary vomited during his birth.  Who knows.  But I don’t have to wonder whether it was messy or not.  I’ve given birth enough times to know about that.

Perhaps Jesus was a little 4 year old who didn’t make it to the bowl, and spoiled his family’s plans for the day.  He certainly wouldn’t have been sinning if that were the case.  He would have simply been human.

And yet, for having entered humanity, He never lessened His glory.  His glory wasn’t compromised by a messy birth or intestinal disruption.  Somehow, the fact that He came in flesh and bore with our weaknesses increases His glory.  We see more of who He is because of it.

Yesterday I read on Desiring God a quote from Martin Lloyd Jones,

Jesus Christ has not been changed into a man; it is the eternal Person who has come in the flesh. That is the right way to put it.

It’s refreshing for me to remember that Jesus is a Person.  The Person.  The Perfect Adam.  The Glorious Incarnation in a vomit-filled world.

God, in His infinite grace to His daughter, teaches me more about Christmas through vomit under the Christmas tree than by having everything fall into place the way I had planned.

So that’s what I’m thinking about this Christmas.  The presents will be wrapped in clean paper.  The kids will get better.  The car will be fixed.  All things will one day be made right.  But the biggest thing has already been made right.  God the Man has come to Earth to save people from their sins.

Bought.  Paid for.  Loved.  Forgiven.  Free.  That’s who I am this Christmas.

All because of a messy birth 2,000 years ago.

loving common grace

By: Abigail Dodds
body of Christ, everyday, 3 Comments on loving common grace

I’ve taken common grace for granted.  I’ve let it become ordinary, expected and impersonal.

But today, I’m reminded that common grace is personal.  It’s personal because it’s happening to me, personally, and given from God, who knows me and loves me.

It’s easy for me to make His common grace seem cheap because it’s happening to everybody.  For instance, the sun is warming my feet through the window as I type and when I look outside it’s like my eyeballs are having an inner itch scratched.  The same thing might be happening to thousands of other people in my state alone.  And His common grace is particular for a thousand people in a thousand different ways.

The commonality doesn’t lessen the expression of love that the sun is for me from Him.  It’s still personal.  Why?  Because He’s making my toes warm.  He knows they’re cold.  He’s scratching my inner eyeball itch with the bright sunshine.  He knows my eyeballs like bright light.

And when a storm comes and scares me witless, it’s a personal storm with a message of trust and repentance for me.  Because He knows my sin and my need to trust.  The fact that He is doing something the same or different for everyone else with a common experience doesn’t change His acting in my life with particular purposes and grace.

Common grace is common, but it isn’t ordinary.  It’s common, but it isn’t impersonal.

And let me say this.  It’s personal, but it doesn’t revolve around me.  God acting particularly to effect me, doesn’t make me the center of the universe.  He is.  He’s doing it for a million people in a million ways because He is glorious, not because we are.

So here’s His common grace for me today.  This is the view from here. What does His common grace look like at your house today?

 

reflections from the middle; I love The Two Towers.

By: Abigail Dodds
body of Christ, everyday, family7 Comments on reflections from the middle; I love The Two Towers.

I’m not sure when it happened, just recently I suppose, but I have entered a middle stage of life.  The beginning of the middle is what I’d call it.

My marriage is in the middle.  8 years doesn’t qualify us as newlyweds, but we haven’t been married long enough to have much street cred.  We’ve been married long enough to know each others’ flaws, but not long enough to have made total peace with them.  We’ve been married long enough that when we see googly-eyed engaged couples, we know we were that stupid once.  And we also know that we love each other way more now than we did then.

My mothering is in the middle.  Yes, I have a newborn, but I also have a 6 1/2 year old.  I know enough to know I don’t know much.  I know enough to know I can’t take all the credit for their pro’s or all the heat for their con’s.  I also know enough to know I have to keep trying.  Keep training in the instruction of the Lord.  The results aren’t in yet.

My friendships are in the middle.  Old friends are far away.  The memories of life with them have grown sweeter as time has marched on.  New friends have morphed into middle friends.  They haven’t yet gained the trust and security of old friends, but the time of discovery about similarities and differences has past.  The tipping point has either come or is coming.  They will either hang in there and head toward old friend status, or pull up and become peripheral.

The middle is tricky.  And I’m quick to think of it as my least favorite part when compared with the beginning and the end.  But then I remember The Two Towers.

You know, the part where Frodo and Sam wander and persevere through Mordor.  The part where Merry finds his courage.  The part where the ents make their final march. The part where Aragorn discovers his strength and leads them to victory at Helms Deep.  The part where Arwen keeps the faith for Aragorn, even though they are separated.  The part where Legolas and Gimli forge a bond that overcomes prejudice.  The part where Pip says, “The closer we are to danger, the farther we are from harm.  It’s the last thing he’ll expect.” Yeah.  That part.  I love that part.

The middle is the best part.  It’s where the action happens.  It’s the part that you look back on later and relish.

Or, as my parents tell me, “These are the good old days.”

So, here’s to “the building years.”  Call it what you will, I say, saddle up.  Time to enjoy the middle.

to serve is to suffer

By: Abigail Dodds
body of Christ, culture, everyday, family, , 3 Comments on to serve is to suffer

“..people like John Calvin and Martin Luther had a dizzying variety of responsibilities, so that they could only use their gifts in the fog of fatigue. Yet the fruits of their labor as leaders and writers still bless the church.”

-Ajith Fernando writing for CT in his article, To Serve is to Suffer

This is true even for lowly stay-home moms.  With schooling at home fast approaching, sleepless nights due to an almost three year old (the newborn sleeps just fine:), and life pressing in with aching bodies and crazy schedules, my “gifts” are often, if not always, used in the fog of fatigue.

I pray there will be enough of Christ’s grace over my daily work that some of it will survive the testing fires and be useful for the church: my family, my small group, my friends, etc.

He goes one to say:

“The New Testament is clear that those who work for Christ will suffer because of their work. Tiredness, stress, and strain may be the cross God calls us to. Paul often spoke about the physical hardships his ministry brought him, including emotional strain (Gal. 4:19; 2 Cor. 11:28), anger (2 Cor. 11:29), sleepless nights and hunger (2 Cor. 6:5), affliction and perplexity (2 Cor. 4:8), and toiling—working to the point of weariness (Col. 1:29). In statements radically countercultural in today’s “body conscious” society, he said, “Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day” (2 Cor. 4:16)”

Paul’s sacrifice puts my miniscule one into perspective.  I need to get up, be thankful for sleepless nights with children (it means I’m enjoying the gift of having children), put my arms to cheerful action, teach, clean, instruct, love, work, serve.  Expect difficulty and persevere.

Preaching to myself this morning, folks.

the ministry of being normal

By: Abigail Dodds
body of Christ, culture, everyday, 3 Comments on the ministry of being normal

Michael McKinley of 9Marks via JT:

“As Chrisitans, we should expect persecution for our faith.  For most of us in the West, that takes the form of being ostracized and rejected in fairly minor ways (compared to being beaten or killed or imprisoned).

But I think sometimes the world rejects us not because we are like Jesus, but because we’re jerks or weirdos.  If we go out of our way to remind people of our moral superiority, if we always insist that people who don’t love God should be expected to act like they do… then we deserve whatever rejection we get.  They’re really not rejecting Jesus, they are rejecting us.

So I sometimes talk to my church about the “ministry of being normal”.  As believers, we are necessarilly going to have a lot of distance between us and those who don’t follow Christ.  We live differently, love differently, hope differently.  We’re citizens of a different country.

But it might be helpful if we limit the distance between us and the world in a lot of other ways.  We don’t have to flaunt our lack of a TV and be weird and preachy about grinding your own grain.  That only serves to put unnecessary distance between us and the people we’re trying to reach.  Instead, we should try to engage the world around us, know what our neighbors care about, and try to inhabit the same universe they do.

If they are going to persecute us, let it at least be for things that really have something to do with being a Christian.”

I agree.

teaching children to fear God and trust Him during a storm

By: Abigail Dodds
body of Christ, everyday, family, kiddos, , 5 Comments on teaching children to fear God and trust Him during a storm

We had severe thunderstorms with tornado sightings close by just a couple nights ago.

The kids know what the tornado sirens mean and are simultaneously excited and scared when they hear them.  On Saturday they rushed around grabbing their most beloved stuffed animals before racing downstairs to watch Dave Dahl and the weather radar on channel 5 (Dave is hands-down the best weather guy in the Twin Cities).

The sky turned dark and things seemed very still as we waited for the wind and rain.  Then it was upon us.  I could see our birch tree in front bent over practically in half.

Here’s an opportunity to help our kids fear God and trust Him.  And here’s a list of ways to do that:

1) Affirm that, yes, God is behind this storm.  He created and controls the weather.

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

Isaiah 44:24 Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, who formed you from the womb: “I am the LORD, who made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself..

2) Affirm that, yes, the weather is scary and God is not a pansy God.  He is not gumdrops and sugarplums.  He is to be feared.  He holds our lives and tornadoes in His hands.

Psalm 66:16 Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul.

Psalm 40:3 Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.

3) This storm is an expression of God’s love and grace for those who are in Christ Jesus.  This is not God’s wrath on us, even if it were to topple our home and take our lives.  We are protected from His wrath, because when we trust in Jesus and His work on the cross, we are now counted righteous and beloved in Christ.

Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Romans 5:9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.

4) God is gracious, not only to His children, but to all people.  We can thank Him for His common grace in things like weather radars and tornado sirens and basements and cell phones and flash lights.

Psalm 145:9 The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.

5) As we rightly fear God, we are pushed to trust Him and run to Him for refuge.  Our God is a refuge.  He is an ever-present Help in times of trouble.

Psalm 46:1-3 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.

6) Our God, the ever-present Help, hears us as we call to Him in prayer.  What an opportunity for kids to find their comfort in God as they pray to Him amid strong feelings of fear.

Psalm 18:6 In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.

I think the temptation we have as parents is to say to our kids, “It’s ok.  Nothing bad is going to happen.  God will protect us from this storm.”  Which, on the concrete level that kids operate on, is unmistakably false and deep down they know it.

They know that we can’t guarantee that the storm won’t knock our house down.  They’re children, they’re not stupid.

On a deeper level, it’s true, but incomplete.  “Nothing bad is going to happen.. because we trust that even things we feel as bad, God is working for our good for those who love Him.”  And, “God will protect us from this storm.. because we trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins and salvation of our soul even if we were to die tonight.”

My challenge as a parent is to gently show them the true God of the Bible and not make up a God that is palatable for them (or me).  They need to see that God is to be feared and trusted.  They need to be in awe of God as they run to hide in the shadow of His wing.

If they don’t get this when they’re young, making sense of the fearsome acts of the Old Testament may shake their faith as adults.  And Jesus’ bold and penetrating way of talking in the New Testament will be indecipherable for them.

Our children watch us to see how we respond in scary situations.  So, perhaps the biggest thing we can do is give them a peek at what’s going on inside of us.  Let them see that our faith is not theoretical, it’s real.

Here’s a photo of a bad storm from 2 summers ago.  We had to replace our siding, but the kids thought the hail was amazing!!!

a spiritual endorsement for the iphone

By: Abigail Dodds
body of Christ, culture, everyday, recommendations, , 4 Comments on a spiritual endorsement for the iphone

I mentioned a while back that I got an iphone.

I also mentioned that I was enjoying it immensely.  That is still true.  One benefit that I didn’t anticipate has been a spiritual one.

Every year our church encourages us to follow a schedule of reading through the Bible in a year.  I’ve never been able to do it.  I’ve started three times and a few months in have felt hopelessly behind.

The last two years, I’ve only read half or a quarter of the assigned reading per day and been mostly content with that.  It has been a fruitful time.  I don’t believe that you have to read through the Bible in a year in order to have meaningful times in the Word.

However, I still have had a desire to read it in a year, or at least close to a year.  I can see that there are benefits to getting a broad look at all of Scripture and being able to make connections between Old Testament and New.

I didn’t think that the way I’d be able to do it would be because of an iphone, but it has been.  I got the phone in February and Mr. TommyD downloaded an app that you tap on and it takes you to the four passages of Scripture for that day as put together by our church.  You can go forward or backward in the days, in case you need to catch up.  Since February, I have been able to keep up with the program!

This is a minor miracle for me.  It hasn’t felt overly rushed or burdensome either.  Even through Leviticus and Numbers I have found much to chew on as it has contrasted and connected with the Psalms and New Testament reading.

Here’s how the iphone has made it doable:

1) I just tap on the app and all the reading is there.  I never lose my spot or forget where I am.

2) I can read it without turning a light on.  I was often sleepless during the last trimester of pregnancy and I could read it without switching on the light and waking up Tom.

3) It’s small and easy to hold in one hand while reading.  In other words, I can read it while nursing.  I’ve always kept my Bible close by when nursing the last three, but turning pages, trying to get to another passage, and balancing the Bible has made it difficult.  Not anymore.

4) It’s always with me.  I always have my phone on me, so even if I only have a few minutes free, I can pull it out and immediately be in the Word.

And here’s a bonus.  When I finish my Bible reading, I switch over to kindle for iphone and have been able to get through a few long books in the last couple months (all free downloads via kindle).  Right now I’m reading a biography of John Newton and it is quite wonderful.

So, there’s my spiritual endorsement for the iphone.  Who’d have thunk it? 🙂

Perhaps my next post should be all the possible spiritual pitfalls of the iphone.. that might be a bit longer though.

curriculum review: Explode the Code

By: Abigail Dodds
curriculum reviews, everyday, homeschool, recommendations, , 7 Comments on curriculum review: Explode the Code

We’ve been using the Explode the Code series of workbooks this year.

Explode the Code, Book 1 - By: Nancy Hall

Eliza has completed book 1 and 2 and is halfway through book 3.  I ordered them as a supplement to the language/phonics program we would be doing when we started last fall and they quickly became a primary tool for us.

I would not say ETC is a comprehensive program for phonics or spelling, but it does cover those disciplines in wonderful bite-sized ways.  It also gives your child handwriting practice.

ETC assumes when you start book 1 that your child knows their consonant sounds, but does a brief review of them in the beginning of the book.  It then moves to the vowel sound ‘a’ and, by the end of book 1, covers all the vowels, with the child spelling short one-syllable words from the get go and progressively incorporating the new vowel sounds.

Book 2 covers initial consonant blends and final consonant blends.  Book 3 reiterates all the skills taught so far and moves on to one-syllable words ending with a long vowel (such as -y and silent -e words).  It also teaches digraphs (-sh, -th, -wh, -ch, -ng, -ck) and trigraphs (-tch, -ee-ea, -ai-ay, and -oa-ow).

Also, there are Explode the Code primers which teach the consonant sounds in order to prepare for the basic Explode the Code.  Furthermore they have ETC books 1 1/2 and 2 1/2, etc.  These in between books provide extra practice for the student who needs it.

The ETC series has 8 books total that range from dipthongs, word families, three letter blends, soft c and g and suffixes/endings.  I’m not sure if we’ll continue on with it or not, but for this Kindergarten year, ETC has been invaluable for phonics reinforcement and basic spelling.

The workbooks are not overwhelming.  The pages are easy to complete and really boost the child’s confidence.  Eliza has felt very competent to work in them independently and we have found 2 pages per day to be manageable and suit our needs.

If you have a preschool, kindergarten or 1st grade student (depending on their abilities) these first Explode the Code books may be useful for you to check out.

taking some morbid advice: funeral planning

By: Abigail Dodds
body of Christ, everyday, family8 Comments on taking some morbid advice: funeral planning

I was thinking about death and funerals the other day.

Don’t freak out, this is not in any way an indication of something dire.  I don’t expect to die for many decades.  The Lord knows.  I just would like to make sure that somewhere out there I’ve given a few instructions about what I would and wouldn’t like for my funeral.

1) I’d prefer that the visitation be the time when memories or reminiscing happens and that at the actual funeral a sermon is given, not a free for all of sharing.  If one or two people who were close to me want to share a eulogy at the funeral, no problem, but I think the main place for that should be at the visitation.

2) I’d like the sermon to be a no holds bar presentation of the Gospel, complete with a picture of heaven and hell.

3) I’d like plenty of singing.  As much as people can stand.  Must-have songs (as of now) are: It is Well, In Christ Alone, Fly to Jesus (not sure that’s the actual name of it).  Special music would be great.

4) If there’s a reception afterwards with food, (I don’t care whether there is or isn’t, but if there is) I want there to be laughter.  Some of my fondest memories with cousins were at funeral receptions for my grandmothers.  I hope any kids who were at the funeral feel freed up to enjoy the reception.

5) If part of people’s reminiscing is negative, I don’t mind.  I’m a sinner.  I’m certain that my sins have effected people in unhappy ways.  If people need to work through this, I hope they feel they can talk about my sinfulness, with an understanding of God’s grace.

6) I hope the funeral is sad, with a strong undercurrent of hope.  Funerals are supposed to be for mourning and sadness.  Stuffing the sad part in favor of a “she’s in a better place” smile, if it’s not what’s actually felt, is fake.  Feel the sadness, feel the hope.  Sorrowful, yet rejoicing.

7) I don’t care what happens to my body.  If it’s buried, fine.  If it’s cremated, fine.  God formed me the first time around and He can form back together whatever remnants of my body remain on the last day.

That’s all I’ve got for now.  Do you have any particular funeral instructions?  Have you thought about it?

what are you reading?

By: Abigail Dodds
blogging, body of Christ, culture, everyday, mustread, questions, 3 Comments on what are you reading?

Here’s what I’ve been reading lately:

1) Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God’s Will OR How to Make a Decision without Dreams, Visions, Fleeces, Impressions, Open Doors, Random Bible Verses, Casting Lots, Liver Shivers, Writing in the Sky, Etc. by Kevin DeYoung

I finished this about a 2 months ago and thought it was great.  What a breath of fresh air to the frivolous, often ridiculous ways we try to figure out our future before it happens.

2) Middlemarch by George Eliot

I’ve always loved Eliot’s Adam Bede and never took the time to read Middlemarch.  I’m glad I did.  She has an insight into the workings of the mind and heart of her characters that is enlightening and convicting to the reader who identifies with them.  Plus, it was the first book I read on my iPhone via Kindle and just finished.  Very handy.

3) Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

I just started this and am only a few chapters in, also being read on my iphone.  So far, it has all the charming markings of an Austen novel.  It was her first book, published after many of her other works.

4) Intellectuals and Society by Thomas Sowell

Sowell is one of my favorite minds on politics and culture.  I’ve just started this book and it examines the influence of intellectuals on society and the often disastrous effects thereof.  Thanks, Tom, for surprising me with it!

5) Home Comforts : The Art and Science of Keeping House by Cheryl Mendelson

I pulled this one off my bookshelf a month ago and got sucked into re-reading quite a bit.  I use it as reference book and disagree largely with her take on why it’s important to keep house, but nonetheless, you will not find a more thorough book covering every aspect of home management.

6) A Sweet & Bitter Providence: Sex, Race and the Sovereignty of God by John Piper

I loved this look at Ruth, Naomi and Boaz.  The book of Ruth has long been a favorite for me and Pastor John offers his usual poignant understanding of the big picture in relation to this story.  Reading it made me love God’s designs more.

7) The Liars’ Club: A Memoir by Mary Karr

I was assigned to read this in college and did a half-read, half-skim.  I was prompted to remember it when Tim Challies reviewed it a while back.  I’m about a quarter in so far and find it riveting and very gritty.  I probably wouldn’t recommend it.

8) The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

This book was a gift and I completed it a few months ago and thoroughly enjoyed.  It is a book of fictional letters written just after WWII.  The style is enchanting and the content is sober without being sober.

What are you reading?

*Note: The Bible is the most important reading we can do each day.  I hope that’s understood.  I use our church’s Bible reading plan, in case you were curious.  The reading listed here is my “escape” or nighttime reading.