Dudley's Solo

It never ceases to amaze me how a book written over the course of about fifteen hundred years, and the most recent writings are over two thousand years old remains fresh in the 21st century. The Psalms still speak to the emotions we all feel today: depression, loneliness, betrayal, joy, awe of creation, anger; it doesn't matter what you are going through in your life, there is a Psalm that addresses it.

I've read the Bible through three times myself, and I still come across verses that feel completely new. I know I've read them before, but I read them on just the right day, at just the right moment when the words speak to my heart, giving me the wisdom or encouragement I need. The other night in one of my devotional readings I came across Romans 6:16 Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.

It struck me while reading this verse that there really are only two choices in life: God or sin, no matter how we try to pretty it up or talk about moral relativity. In Matthew 6:24 Jesus said, "No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other." Even if you decide not to choose, a choice has been made. You are either a slave to sin or a slave of righteousness. If you choose God, it gets even better because John 8:35 says A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is a part of the family forever. So if you choose God, you are no longer a slave, but a member of his family! I don't think that Satan will accord the same kind of treatment to those who choose sin, and make no mistake about it, if you haven't chosen God, you've chosen sin.

I don't normally get preachy here on my blog, but this verse just won't leave me alone this week. There are so many people in my life who I know haven't set out to choose sin, but they've never made the effort to choose God, and that worries me. I also know that while I have made God my choice, there are far too many times when no one would know that from seeing me. I want my faith to be visible to the world, like a light on a hill, but not in the hypocritical Pharisaical way. I am blessed in knowing that even if I don't always get it right, I am forgiven. If you're reading this, and you haven't chosen God, do it today! Join the family! I'll be praying for you.

It's time for Mia & Mommy's Book Blog!

Dudley's Solo by Tiffany Alexander and Jeremiah Carstarphen is part of the charming Children's Band series. First Mia's thoughts: I really liked this book, because I liked how nice Dudley's friends were. They didn't make him feel bad because he couldn't hear, and they took the time to listen to him and then help him come up with a plan so he could be a part of the concert. I thought that his solo was really cool. My favorite part was Dudley with his dad. You could see how much they loved each other. Here's my take. Dudley is a part of the Children's Band, and everyone is excited as they are getting ready for a choir concert, but Dudley feels left out. Because he can't speak or hear, he hasn't been given a solo, and he wants to praise God with the rest of the kids. Mia really captured the magic of this book; Dudley's friends don't treat him any differently than they do each other, even though he's deaf, he's just one of the gang. Carstarphen's drawings are terrific giving a bit of an urban feel to the book. Mia and I enjoyed singing along with the song in the book, and she was also interested in me showing her a few signs for words like dad and yes (my sign language vocabulary isn't much deeper than that). I think the book demonstrated for her that a deaf child has the same desires and feelings that she does, and can worship God in his/her own special way. We will definitely be looking for more of this series!

Mia's pointing up in the picture, because she wanted to make sure that everyone knew this book is really about God.