10 Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe

I received some wonderful news in the mail today. Doogie has received a scholarship from the high school. Those who have been selected receive an invitation to the Scholarship ceremony, and that's the only way to find out if you will be receiving one. When I saw the envelope in the mail, I knew immediately what it was. We don't know how much or who the scholarship is from; that will be revealed during the ceremony, to which we must wear "appropriate attire." I'm really excited about it, and no matter how much the scholarship is for, I'm proud of Doogie.

I'm reading through Catherine Martin's Passionate Prayer Study Guide, and never have I been so enthralled with a Bible study. Each night's reading is short, but so deep; it pulls something out of me, I'm gaining so much understanding about prayer. In a reading earlier this week, I came across the most beautiful prayer. It's from the Puritan era, but it rings true to my heart centuries after it was written.
Thou incomprehensible but prayer-hearing God,
Known, but beyond knowledge,
revealed, but unrevealed,
my wants and welfare draw me to thee,
for thou hast never said, 'Seek ye me in vain'.

To Thee I come in my difficulties, necessities, distresses;
possess me with thyself,
with a spirit of grace and supplication,
with a prayerful attitude of mind,
with access into warmth of fellowship,
so that in the ordinary concerns of life
my thoughts and desires may rise to thee,
and in habitual devotion I may find a resource that will
soothe my sorrows, sanctify my successes,
and qualify me in all ways for dealings with my fellow men.

I bless thee that thou hast made me capable.
of knowing thee, the author of all being,
of resembling thee, the perfection of all excellency,
of enjoying thee, the source of all happiness.

O God, attend me in every part of my arduous and trying pilgrimage;
I need the same counsel, defense, comfort I found at my beginning.
Let my religion be more obvious to my conscience,
more perceptible to those around.
While Jesus is representing me in heaven, may I reflect him on earth,
While he pleads my cause, may I show forth his praise.

Continue the gentleness of thy goodness towards me,
And whether I wake or sleep, let thy presence go with me,
thy blessing attend me.
Thou hast led me on and I have found thy promises true,
I have been sorrowful, but thou hast been my help,
fearful, but thou hast delivered me,
despairing, but thou hast lifted me up.

Thy vows are ever upon me,
And I praise thee, O God.

10 Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe by Larry Osborne is going to shake up more than a few readers faith! There are many beliefs that are consistent across denominations, but as Osborne points out, not all of these are Scriptural, and some are actually likely to damage believers' faith. He calls them spiritual urban legends like: God brings good luck, all things happen for a reason, and my personal favorite being raised in a godly home guarantees good children. Despite what other writers will have you believe, it's not necessarily so. Osborne uses short anecdotes and lots of Scripture to point out how these beliefs arose and why they continue in popularity. The book is like a cold splash of water: it's at first a bit shocking and maybe even unpleasant but cleansing. For example, believing that raising your children in a godly home guarantees that they will be good people will cause one of two reactions if your children are struggling and not walking with the Lord. First, parents may blame themselves and feel unnecessary guilt and causing stress on their relationship as well as deep grief at having failed their child. Or parents could be unrealistically optimistic, believing that while the child may be conflicted now eventually he/she will come to faith because of the false promise in that belief. Either of these can devastate a relationship with the Lord. Osborne wants readers to have a solid faith in God based on the rock of Scripture instead of the unsteady sand of spiritual urban legends.

It's prom night. Doogie and Bre are coming here and then going out to eat at a nice (read expensive) restaurant before the dance. This is Doogie's first prom even though he's a senior, so I'm having a hard time reining in the excited Mommy emotions. Molly's up in Dunbar at Northland Baptist College's Springfest for the day. She'll get back around seven and hurriedly get dressed for pictures here before Jesse takes her to a girlfriend's house so they can go together. I'll post pictures on Facebook tonight, and on the blog later this week.

Today's pic is from this site. HT to Angela Hunt who blogged about it earlier this week. These are unphotoshopped pictures are clouds. I may post another one next week. Isn't God amazing?

Elisha's Bones

Mia has beautiful hair earning her compliments wherever she goes, and it is especially adored by her grandmothers and father. Me, as much as I love how beautiful it is, I hate the daily battle we fight over it. She has a lot of hair, but it's very fine and easily snarls. She couldn't wear her hair down at school all winter because just the act of wearing a hat to and from school and during recesses created an enormous knot at the back of her head that would take nearly an hour to work out. After every shower and every morning before school, she was guaranteed to cry from me brushing, even with the liberal use of detangler.

Last weekend I left Mia with my mom while we went up to Superior, and when she came home on Sunday, she had another large knot on the back of her head. Even Mom didn't like combing through all that luxurious hair that she loves. Mia's been mentioning for awhile that she wanted her hair cut to her shoulders, and last night's shower made us both realize it was time for a change. I measured her hair and saw that she had enough to donate to Locks of Love. I explained to her what the organization did and used her Uncle Howard as an example. As part of his treatment, he lost much of his hair and it's just finally starting to grow back. I told Mia that Locks of Love would take her hair and give it to a little girl (or boy) who had cancer and lost their own hair; this would make them feel good about themselves. When I finished telling her about it, she threw her arms around me as if I had just given her a huge gift and agreed that this was exactly what she wanted to do. I made an appointment for her right after school today, and the stylist took off just over 10"! The cut is a little shorter than we expected, but Mia can't stop talking about how much she loves it. We'll drop it in the mail tomorrow, and I put on the form that she's donating in the name of Howard Valley. It's one more example of how God has used his illness for good; Mia has learned what cancer is as well as how it effects a family, and she wants to make a difference.

Elisha's Bones by Don Hoesel is a pulse-pounding action filled thriller in the vein of The DaVinci Code, but written well! Jack Hawthorne gave up working in the field as an archaeologist to work as a college professor after the mysterious death of his brother. He's lured back into one of his old digs in Venezuela when a reclusive billionaire hires him to find the biblical prophet Elisha's bones which are rumored to have the power to resurrect the dead. Hawthorne reconnects with his old fiance (and she reconnects her fist with his face), Espy, who is a language expert. But every time Jack and Espy make a discovery, someone dies, and they are on the run for their lives, especially when he learns that this quest is connected to his brother's death. Hoesel has created a humorous self-deprecating character who has a lot to learn about himself and relationships. Espy is more than just his female foil, she's smart with a lot of heart and wants very much to share her new faith with Jack, but he's not quite ready yet. I fully intended to go to bed at a reasonable hour Monday night, but I because so caught up in the story, I didn't get to sleep until I finished it, after 1:30 am. So this book comes with a reader's warning: Don't pick it up unless you have the time to finish it, because it's too good to put down!

Congratulations to Kim Magnin; she's the winner of Gardening Eden. Today I'm starting a new book contest. I'm giving away two copies of 10 Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe by Larry Osborne. There are a lot of urban legends Christians buy into, and it hurts their faith like: God brings good luck, Everything happens for a reason, and A godly home guarantees good kids. Osborne provides Scripture to explain why these beliefs are just plain wrong. If you are interested in winning, send me an email before 10 pm on Thursday, April 23rd. I'll announce the winners here on Friday and my review will go up on Saturday. Good luck!