prayer

Another prayer/poem that arose out of Bible Study Fellowship homework, based on Isaiah 24:14-16a

Lord Almighty,
You give the sinner hope.
my hope is in you before the trials.
The joy of Your justice will come.
I rest and rejoice in Your righteousness.
Make my joy complete for my heart laments the godless.
But I look to the future and smile
and pray your glory displaces all sorrow.
I will acclaim with every nation
when the harvest is complete.
Enlarge Your kingdom, O God,
our Banner and our Salvation.
May the chorus of Your redeemed cry out,
every language lift Your name.
Until our tears are wiped away,
may we shed them for your fame.

rar?

last night as i was putting the Numgat into her car seat before leaving SF, she held up her stuffed tiger - the one that makes a roar sound - and said "Rar?" It didn't register to me at first, as I was hurriedly strapping her in, but she kept repeating it imploringly as she held mr. tiger up to me.
Only later as the wife acquiesced to the Numgat's demands in the backseat as we drove home did I realize that my daughter was asking me to play the tiger sound because it delighted her so.

rar! rar!

Numgat Initiative

As is my habit when the Numgat wakes from her nap in the Pack 'n' Plan in our closet, I came to get her first by opening the closet door and turning on the light so she would at least know her freedom was imminent and stop crying, while I made a quick stop in the bathroom.
However, before I could finish in the bathroom, to my bewilderment, she sauntered in, greeted me, and casually tossed her empty bottle into the sink (where we toss the day's used bottles), and sauntered out.

I guess this is less surprising given that yesterday after putting her down in the pack 'n' play, I found her sitting on the changing area portion, having climbed up to it.

I guess her transfer to the Pooklet's old crib came none too soon.

Jesse Tree

At the wonderful wife's prompting, we've initiated a family devotional routine each evening for the month of December. it consists of a little scripture, a bit of devotional material, and the unwrapping of an ornament (which the wife made) that goes on the "Jesse Tree." each ornament represnets a symbol of God's covenant with His people.

Anyway, the real purpose of this post is to record my daughter's adorable (although distracting) behavior during last night's devotions: As I read aloud, she scurried back and forth between me and my backpack, bringing me items from it like my name badge, saying "Daddy" as if to let me know that they belongs to me.

Two kids enter, one kid leaves...

last night was the first night our two kids shared the Pooklet's room (The Pooklet's been in his big boy bed now for about a week).
when mommy put the Numgat in Pooklet's old crib, she pointed back to our room and said somewhat anxiously, "Hannah sleep there." but, after a brief cry, it took.
after a 4am change and bottle, however, she sat up and started talking to her pig-pig, so i broke in and took her out so she wouldn't wake her brother. However - and here is the real proof that the sleep experiment was successful - she hadn't even woke him with her initial 4am cry (which woke me down the hall through two closed doors).
she ended up sleeping in our room from 4:30 on, but all in all, this was a good sign of things to come.

I, however, couldn't fall back asleep.

prayer encouragement

I mentioned in an earlier post that I've been praying more and longer than perhaps ever in my life. The Praying Church Sourcebook continues to be a source of ideas and inspiration to me. Today I read about Second Baptist Church in Houston, which, I believe, we visited once when unexpectedly laid over on our return trip from Costa Rica. Their Sunday school attendance grew from 800 to over 5,000 because of prayer. They have members praying 24/7 in a room on their campus, with a phone anyone can call in on at any time with requests. I like commitments like this. It reminds me of the story I heard of Spurgeon's church, which had a basement full of prayer warriors during his sermons.
Pastor Cho of the 1,000,000 member church in Seoul, Korea encourages us to pray for very specific requests because God's answers come more noticeably and offer greater testimonies to His greatness. Personally, what I like about praying detailed requests is that it makes it more exciting when you're praying because it paints a better picture. The more facets of the request I consider, the more vivid the picture, and the more it heightens interest, urgency and passion in the prayer.

King of Kings and Lord of Lords

My mom sent me this link today, and it was just what I needed. I'm going to go listen to our CD of the Hallelujah Chorus now...

identity

Part of my homework for BSF was to share what we'd sing to God and although it wasn't intended to be a literal song, really, I thought it was a good opportunity to praise Him with another attempt at hymnody.

The content coincides with the chapter we discussed yesterday in my Sunday school study of The Reason For God by Timothy Keller. The chapter, "The Problem of Sin," explains how sin is essentially finding one's identity in anything but God.


The rain outside my house
tapped softly on my door
My treasured comfort You would douse
I feared if I explored.
So I kept myself in safety dry,
among my idols near,
and studied rain in holy books,
my wisdom lacking fear.

I danced in puddles from Your rain
and stole from You delight.
Upon Your gifts I placed my stain
of pride in copyright.
Were man to know enough to pray
that You would yet entice us
He’d call on You from pleasures’ sway
to save before a crisis.

You turned my puddles into flood
and wet my eyes with joy.
I’m changed forever by Your blood
to be what You employ.
Don’t haste to wipe away my tears.
Your Name deserves reknown.
You’ve paved the way, dissolving fears.
To Your Commission I am bound.

Sing, my heart! Give rise, my voice!
The nations need to hear!
Make known that private hearts rejoice!
Request the public’s ear!
This is what the Lord has done.
Proclaim now His salvation.
“His victory is surely won”
the song for every nation.

prayer

if anything is worth plugging online, it's prayer.

i'm struck by how important, and yet how elusive, it is in my life. i think satan revels inconspicuously in his exploitation of our busyness and complacency.

after a few weeks of missing prayer in the morning, and God's encouragement that i really can have more of this elusive thing to which He's called me, i started reading the praying church sourcebook (partly because i was considering joining our church's prayer commission).

first i began getting up at 5 in hopes of dedicating an hour each morning to prayer. this proved to be too taxing, so i moved it to 5:30 and scheduled, just for the month of november, a half hour each tuesday and wednesday night. the 5:30 routine has been fruitful (i'm nine minutes away from the first of the prayer evenings).

this was at least partly inspired by the sourcebook's account of martin luther, who would dedicate an hour each morning to prayer and - get this - two hours on the mornings of his busiest days.

then, as prayer became more of a preoccupation, i journaled one morning after my bible reading (i had extra time, after all) and laid out opportunities for regular prayer. here's what i've begun to try to implement:

- pray when you get to your office in the morning. pray that God would use you mightily (pray against notions that your work is unimportant on either a utilitarian or Kingdom level); that He would invigorate your work.

- thank Him at the end of the day for the job and the other blessings that come to mind (easier to remember at 6pm than even two hours later).

- pray before each lunch hour, thanking Him for it, and asking Him to bring to mind the best ways to spend it.

- pray before exiting the car at BSF, for men who are struggling to be captivated by the Lord for the next two hours; for the power of the word to heal marriages and other relationships; for the edification of the men of the region to be godly leaders; for this to be an equipping and a time of growth; for honesty, vulnerability, powerful fellowship; that i would be humble, and an instrument for blessing others.

- pray before exiting the car upon returning home, thanking God for another day of His protection and the use of our car.

- pray before each spin class, that Jesus would shine through my wife and call to others

- pray before exiting the car upon arriving at your capoeira class that God would use you to bless others for His Name's sake.

- pray after each capoeira class, thanking God for the ability to do what you enjoy.

- pray before each small group meeting that God would allow prayer to flourish in the group and set the tone of the evening for a more succinct time of sharing led by an awareness that God's Spirit is in our midst (inspired by the sourcebook).

finally, and i hesitate to add it because it seems the most difficult, but, in addition to those i pray for weekly, i've set about praying for one particular person's salvation every day for one year. hopefully, i'll have a significant list of 'persons of the year' when i'm old and grey, and then meet them in glory.

that's it. and now, it's time to pray.

hymn writing

recently one of the unexpected delights encountered in journaling was a hymn i ended up writing when my journal entry turned into a prayer. i've been reading and listening to the new hymns of Red Mountain Church and have become inspired to write more in this style.


Though You give me the power to withstand the temptation
and give me the way I should flee
I've drunk from the Enemy's sinful libation
and turned my allegiance from Thee.
I don't see in Your storehouse the poison I drink
so my flesh scorns the Cross that I owe.
And the battle seems lost in the thoughts I yet think
but You still show me where I can go.
So I'll rest in the fear of the Lord till it's o'er
the warfare You'll carry me from.
For no weapon against me is fatally forged
for I am Christ's captive and son.
O Savior, Redeemer, I pray You find pleasing
my plea inconsistent and pained:
Deliver me, quicken my faith, and show mercy!
In spite of the calling I've stained.

beep-beep.

Driving in San Francisco last Friday, I had to honk the horn to get someone out of my lane or something, and from that point on, whenever we drive, I periodically hear my 18-month old daughter in the backseat say "bee-bee." (She doesn't quite get the 'p' sound at the end.)

christy.

i finally saw my favorite praise singer in concert last week.
ladies and gentlemen, christy nockels.



my friend dong is always quick to lend me his Canon 5D Mark II and lenses, so I was able to capture this from the front row using the 200mm end of his Mark II lens. Full frame cameras are absolutely remarkable in reducing noise at high ISOs.

Christ Represented

More eyes than normal seem to be on the Muslim world this September 11, and it's worth posting a counterpoint testimony to what a Gainesville, Florida church had planned for today. In contrast to my last post about an American response to Muslim violence, here is a powerful testimony to how Christ is glorified to all the nations.

According to The Washington Post, in early August, the Taliban claimed responsibility for killing a team of doctors and one videographer in Afghanistan. The videographer was Brian Carderelli, whose mother publicly forgave her son's killers August 22 at his memorial service. She said,

"because God, through Christ, has forgiven us, we forgive the men who killed Brian; and we will continue to pray that God will bring peace to Afghanistan."

Freedom in God's forgiveness surpasses any other freedom.

A Plea to Interrupt a Church's Plans

I usually don't blog because it takes too much time and doesn't serve to build up my wife or kids, or anyone else but me.

My heart is burdened by the Florida church in the news this week, which is pondering a book burning of Qur'ans. Something else I usually don't do is file a protest but I did this evening because their action grieves me so and I want to stop it. With a couple minor changes, here is the email I sent to Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville.

"
Please don't burn any qur'ans.

"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
May Romans 3:23 both temper and inform my plea. Christ died for all and He gave the Great Commission to His followers for "all nations," including Muslims.
You know that burning a Qur'an is not a bridge to faith in Christ. You know this.
It is instead a widening gulf between Muslims and the Lord who loves them. You know this. The problem is that your proposed international koran burning day doesn't only widen the gulf between Muslims and Dove World Outreach Center. It widens the gulf for Christ's body, too, the Church everywhere. By refreshing the Muslim perception that Christians are arrogant and hateful, you are sabotaging the tireless, tearful and godly efforts of men and women who've devoted their lives to bringing the love of Christ to these committed followers of God.

The loving thing to do is to bring as many people into the Kingdom of God. Paul demonstrated this with shrewdness and zeal. He became a Jew to the Jew, a Gentile to the Gentile.

Do you know that most Muslims don't read the Qur'an, and that if you were to point to surahs in their holy book like the one that says Jesus is the Mercy of God, it would be a revelation to them and thus more effective at leading them to Christ if they've been taught to avoid the bible?

Do you know that Muslims are more likely to read a bible if the person inviting them to do so has shown respect for their (Muslim) cultural background? In fact, Muslims have come to Christ in great numbers precisely because Christ's missionaries used the Qur'an as a starting point.

If you carry through with your book burning, you are being selfish, harmful, and disobedient in the most important issue of life - salvation.

In the name of Jesus Christ, I condemn your action and urge you to instead hold a prayer vigil for Muslims everywhere, repenting of your insensitivity.

This is the last week of Ramadan, when Muslims the world over are more preoccupied with seeking God's forgiveness than at any other time during the year. It is a great opportunity for those of us who want to see Muslims experience the same redemption that we've received. Please don't let it coincide with such an insult as this. You will leave ripples in your wake and people like me, who have a heart for Muslims, will have more damage to undo.

Remember, the apostle Paul started out as a terrorist.

Thank you for reading this,

Adam
"

9 (baby) steps!

our little numgat took nine lil' steps today! what does tomorrow hold??

pooklet in third person

i noticed a scratch on pooklet's cheek last night, and asked him about it.

"kids hurt isaac at gym."

the wife later commented that he was so good-natured about it.

the daily pooklet

tonight was the first time i got to hear pooklet's newest response.

I asked, "Do you want more broccoli?"

He said, "No, I'm good."

------

Also, as I read his bedtime story, he put his arm around me.

Then, after he'd been "asleep" for a while, we heard his voice (I think) and checked on him.

"Why are you talking?" asked the wife.

"I'm not talking. I'm sleeping," he said.

The Daily Pooklet

Today I asked Pooklet, "How are you?"
"Fine."
(pause)
"Thanks... for asking."

------

The last few days he's been vocally denying us everything: "No sing the song! (while we're singing)"
"No wash the dishes!"
Today, after I blew the hair off his forehead, he said, "No (blows) pfhhhhhh!"

------

He's also been telling me to sit down in specific places near him. He'll use the Cantonese word for 'sit' and end with 'right HERE!'

------

Yesterday, we all played in the park with some friends and he flew his first kite. His exuberance is so guileless it makes it all the more heartbreaking when he so easily suffers allergic reactions, like the big rash that appeared on his legs and made him whine in sleepless agony last night. We suspect it was the air and grass. We've all been suffering allergic reactions to some degree over the last week or so.

today's pookletisms

lately, when the pooklet wakes up in the morning and we take him out of his crib, he's been trying to make off with his crib-only duck blanky, so we tell him that ducky has to sleep and therefore remain in the crib.

this morning, when i reiterated this rouse, he covered ducky with the big blanket we also leave in the crib, and he began patting and singing to the duck. so, i told him to "sing the whoa-whoa (dog)." he then sang, "whoa-whoa, whoa-whoa, whoa-whoa, choo-choo."

------------------

later, for breakfast, he wanted to throw out the bottom end of his banana, but i told him he can eat it. still, he wasn't buying it, so i told him that i'd eat it, so he ran it over to me and said, "daddy eat it." so i ate it, and he said, "yayy!"

home alone, part 2

at kindergym today, i juggled two kids by myself mostly (a friend helped with the numgat).

at the end of class, the numgat started doing hand/head stands, and the pooklet joined in the fun, alternately doing his own head/hand stands, and knocking her over, which consistently made her laugh. of course, i joined in the fun as well (with head/hand stands, not the knocking-numgat-over part).

Today's the first day of three days with the wife gone to NYC with her old UCLA roommates.

I had to use the bathroom, so I asked pooklet if he'd play in his crib. To my surprise and supreme pleasure, he immediately said, "um hm" in the affirmative, gathered the toys with which he was playing, and trotted off to his room.

We've been rewarding the pooklet with toy cars every time he says, "Pee!" or "Poo!" and actually has to go. He's allowed to pick a car out after each success, but the success part for the parent is lost on the child, and three times in the space of a minute did he claim "Pee!" only to discover a new rule from the daddy. "Once every hour, Pooklet." Still, it was the first time I've seen him take his underwear all the way off by himself!

it's so nice to be wanted by your offspring

pooklet was crying at my departure this morning for work, scampering down the hall to catch me before i went out the front door. i bid his tearful self goodybe, and then shut the door. he then lifted up the window shade and looked out the front window at me, so i kissed him through the glass. he reciprocated, and made my day.

snapping my fingers as i walked down the hall to my desk at work, a coworker said, "no one should be that happy on a monday." i said, "i got enough happy to spread."

Sing the Mau-Mau

Pooklet's been wanting us to pat him to sleep while singing him the Chinese word for 'cat' over and over. Tonight I resisted it a little, ad-libbing a song about cats, but he moved the ducky blanky from his mouth and flatly ordered me to "Sing the Mau-Mau." So, I picked a melody and just sang 'Mau-Mau' over and over.

"Sing the Mau-Mau."

patting the pooklet

For the past few weeks, in the early post-binky era, we've seen how easy it is to get a crying pooklet resisting bedtime to submit to quiet, stillness, and sleep. All it takes is patting his side, draping his duck blanky over his face, and singing "Come Ye Sinners," and it seems only one or two verses is all that's required.

One day when we were playing in the afternoon, the pooklet tried to get me from sitting to laying down, and then patted me on the chest while humming melodically.

He's also patted his stuffed ducky and sung to it.

The wifey tells me that when his duck blanky was in the wash and she'd substituted a stuffed ducky, he put stuffed ducky on his face.

sweet pooklet moments.

I was tired this afternoon, but pooklet was up, so I locked us in his room and tried to nap while he "read" his books. Lately, I've been patting him on his side at night to help him get to sleep, because he's fresh off his binky and consequently whinier.
Today, he responded in kind by patting my chest as I lay on the futon in his room.

He stood next to me as I lay there, and gave the ASL sign for book, so I encouraged him to get a book from the shelf. He'd get one, flip through it, and dump it on the floor and make the sign to me again, as if asking for permission (because each time, I simply told him to get another book).

Some Progress, Some Regress - The Days of Pooklet

pooklet news...

The Pooklet has had a bad habit of pressing the green, lit button on our printer, and has been consequently spanked on occasion for his unrepentant persistence in this disobedience, but today the wifey saw him out of the corner of her eye reach for it, and then quickly withdraw his hand, wincing, as if by a phantom admonition.
Good job, timid pookling!

This has been a week of binky withdrawal, as we've denied him his cherished binky at night in his crib. He's been a bit fragile as a result so we've resumed the old days of patting his side to avoid screaming and cries for Dad-dy (the one who puts him down usually). It did the trick last night, and tonight I patted him briefly. But when I stopped, he patted his side as if to beg me to continue. After two minutes of patting, and with a duck blanky over his face, he went quiet, and I left the room.