For My Birthday…Wait, Forget My Birthday!

For my birthday on Monday I would love for the readers of this blog to post in the comments at least one good thing that has happened to them in the last week (that is G rated 🙂 ).  I just looked at the news headlines from the BBC and I just don’t like the death, destruction, and debt being reported around the world and adding to that the detention of Lou Diamond Phillips.  It’s just a bit much…

This just in!  Adeline Grace White was born this morning at O-Dark-Thirty!  The Whites announced that Jillia was preggers and then shuffled off to the Carolinas in search of a home closer to family and tropical storms.  But finally, after what has probably been yet another eternal experience of pregnancy, Jillia went into labor last night.  Congrats Whites!!  Thanks for the new little girl to admire.  And Ella, you keep things updated on the website while your parents recouperate 🙂

Extrapolation

One of the common points of division in the body of Christ, from my own experience, has been theological extrapolation. Calvinists don’t get along with Arminians because of the extrapolation from what is written in the Bible. Don’t get me wrong, logic is important, but it isn’t the be-all, end-all of hermeneutics. You see, if you have only some of the facts, content, culture, history, language understanding and you start to form doctrines you can come up with some errant ideas because you have started to fill in the ‘blanks’ [even if they weren’t blank, but you didn’t study] with something else that you have brought about by deduction. When you have some ideas that work for you, it is probably a great idea to pursue discussions with mature believers and seek out wisdom. Homogeny isn’t always the most important thing (truth is!), but others who have studied a topic may be able to point you towards some verses that will help you in your studies and find a fuller understanding of what the scriptures say on a subject.  Homogeny can also be dangerous because a whole group has agreed on something but not looked into it.  That being said, discussion with other believers is critical.

When you study God’s word there is a term for inserting your own meanings into a text, its called eisegesis (pronounced like ice o’ Jesus, which is probably what Martha was getting when she complained about Mary listening).  It is important to know what the scriptures say and to apply consistent hermeneutics for this very reason.  If you look at a text and are forcing your own modern context and ideas on the text, you’re not learning from God’s word, you’re changing it.  That’s not extrapolation, but its not useful time with the Bible.

The Cat in the Hat Principle

As a rule, when I find others may benefit from my experience, I like to blog about it. This morning I experienced something that hasn’t happened since Abby, but needs to be written about for other fathers: The Cat in the Hat Principle. This principle can be summarized as follows: When poop can go everywhere, it will go everywhere.

You see, I was changing Evie’s diaper and when I opened up the ‘package’ it was fully loaded. Apparently whatever we’ve been feeding her decided that a mass exodus was the best plan of attack. So when I started wiping the poop started to spread – just like the spot in the Cat in the Hat books. Except for I didn’t have cats A-Z to wip up after me. As soon as I started the substance spread to the areas I was trying to wipe instead of coming off. It was as if the poop was one of the biblical plagues.

Eventually, after probably laughing silently to herself, Jessica stepped in and became cats A through Z. She quickly cleaned up and I went to the washroom to avail myself of its cleaning products hoping that the phenomenon didn’t reproduce in our recently cleaned bathroom.

Beware fathers of babies – this could happen to you!  And tell your other father and father-to-be friends, this needs to be warned of so that they don’t panic and lose consciousness with the baby on the table.

Switched-Up Sports

Abby and I went to her second week of ‘switched-up sports’.  The last two weeks have been soccer.  We’ll do soccer again on Wednesday – next week will start tee-ball.  This is her introduction to various sports, but tonight things were not team oriented.  Hopefully Wednesday they’ll let the kids play ‘bunch ball’ (soccer, but at their ages, they all follow the ball instead of staying in their positions).

Cuteness happened.  Balls were kicked all over the basketball court (yes, basketball court), and Abby ran her little heart out.  I can’t wait until Wednesday 🙂

Happy Birthday, Mom!

I wrote this post already, only the dogs of the internets deemed it not capable of going up.  Further, I have enhanced this poste with more miss spellings [no, not Tori].  My mother turned older than five months yesterday, and since you are not supposed to ask someone older than five months how old they are I will simply say that I am turning 29 in one week and she is older than me. We went to dinner last night with my parents to celebate.  I have posted a few pishdurs bellow [SIC].

My mom and Abby and Evie

What is Scream Apparatus?

Scream Apparatus is the name that I have for my pretend band.  It came from those word refrigerator magnets.  Someone put them together and they have been in my mind since then.

I will be posting music up here as I have time to record it.  Which may not be all that often, but it doesn’t hurt to have something in place.

Ben’s & Kate’s Friend

Last night I went to our church and worked the sound for a wedding rehearsal.  And by sound I mean I plugged my MacBook Pro into the sound system and ripped the MP3’s of the songs needed onto it and used the remote control to start, stop, adjust the volume and switch tracks.  Wee!  But this post isn’t about how the Apple has made my life easier, its about a new life that’s about to start as two lives become one.

Ben & Kate have been going to the Tuesday night study that I’m part of.  Kate is the siter of the hosting family and as she started dating Ben he showed up.  In the shorter time that I’ve known Ben it has become apparent that he’s just a neat, neat guy and in the longer time I’ve known Kate it has been apparent that she’s a really awesome bride-to-be.

I’m looking forward to their wedding almost as much as they are.  I’m pretty sure that they’ve had a sleepless night, they’re probably about ready to jump out of their skin about now.  But rought 11:30 or so they should officially be married and beginning their amazing life together.  Sure, there’ll be sickness and health, richer times and poorer times, Denver Post and maybe New York Times, but wherever they live, whatever they do I’l be praying for them and joining many, many folks in holding them up.

My name tag said, “Randy, Ben’s and Kate’s Friend: Sound”, I’m not sure about being sound (though I’ve been called noisy), but I’m thrilled to be their friend.  Congratulations Ben & Kate!