Piper's words to Obama

Free Bible illustration

Here's Taj giving an illustration to the kids. We laughed so hard! You never know what he's going to come up with. But you know what? The illustration worked because Mia, who struggles with tattling on Grazzin, started to talk about an issue of Grazzin's later in the day and then put her hand over her mouth and said, "oops.. I forgot the big board!"

Contact us for Taj's availability to come to your home and give biblical illustrations to your children. The calendar is filling up fast! Don't delay!

Tonya

Dancing Girl

Gospel Motivated School Work?

The wisdom of the Tripp's can be seen again in their most recent blog entries. They are answering this request:

"I’d like to see you address the topic of motivation in schoolwork sometime on your blog. How do we use the Scriptures to instill in our kids a motivation to do their best in their studies? What form should discipline take for children who do not apply themselves the way they should?"

As always, the answers given are filled with grace and practical insight. I hope you enjoy them as much as my wife and I have. You can access it here.


Taj

Lots of Snow

We have been receiving lots of snow which Grazzin loves! We already had a bunch from New Year's Eve and then we got approx. 12 inches yesterday. Wow! Mia doesn't really want to go out, says it is too deep for her and Kaci just shakes her head no when asked if she wants to play in it. So, for all of you who haven't gotten much this year and wanted more, I guess these photos will have to do!

Tonya

Artist in the Making

Let the drawing begin! Grazzin and I have been learning how to draw people in art class. I cannot draw a decent stick person so this has been a stretch for me! Grazzin really enjoys it and I thought you might like to see our first atttempts.

Tonya

In Evil Long I Took Delight

In evil long I took delight,
Unawed by shame or fear;
Till a new object struck my sight,
And stopped my wild career.
I saw one hanging on a tree,
In agonies and blood;
Who fixed his languid eyes on me,
As near his cross I stood.
Sure, never till my latest breath,
Can I forget that look;
It seemed to charge me with his death,
Though not a word he spoke.
My conscience felt, and owned the guilt,
And plunged me in despair;
I saw my sins his blood had spilt,
And helped to nail him there.
Alas! I knew not what I did,
But now my tears are vain;
Where shall my trembling soul be hid?
For I the LORD have slain.
A second look he gave, which said,
“I freely all forgive;
This blood is for thy ransom paid,
I die, that thou may’st live.”
Thus, while his death my sin displays,
In all its blackest hue;
Such is the mystery of grace
It seals my pardon too.
With pleasing grief and mournful joy,
My spirit now is filled;
That I should such a life destroy,
Yet live by him I killed.

Looking to the cross,
John Newton

Eternal Life

Isn't it encouraging to find out that someone has been praying for you? It is wonderful to have someone tell you that they have been going to the throne of grace on your behalf. As great as this may be, it is even more wonderful to actually listen to someone pray for you. To actually walk in on such a prayer.

Well, in John 17 we have the privilege of walking in on just such a prayer. But it is no ordinary prayer. It is a prayer between members of the Godhead!

As you read through John 17, here is a simple outline: 1-5 Christ prays for Himself, 6-19 Christ prays for the disciples, and 20-26 Christ prays for all believers. John 17 is truly amazing stuff.

I simply want to look at 17:3
"This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent."

So, what is eternal life?

Many times we only think of eternal life in its future aspect(Matt 19:29, Mark 10:30, Lk 18:30). We only think of it as life with God everlastingly. This is true, but is only part of the truth. Yes, there is a futuristic aspect of eternal life of which we would do good to think about daily. As a matter of fact, when the puritan Richard Baxter was going through some physical difficulties at a point later in his life and was asked how he was able to endure, he replied that he would spend thirty minutes per day thinking about heaven. That is good counsel for all of us.

But what about the other aspect of eternal life? The second aspect of eternal life is what we experience immediately when we are brought into a relationship with Christ. It is the aspect that Christ is speaking of in 17:3. This aspect is also mentioned throughout Scripture (John 3:15, 16, 36; 5:24, 39; etc . . .).

So, presently we have the blessing of, as Jesus put it, knowing God and Jesus Christ. That is how Jesus defined eternal life.

What does "know" actually mean?

There are actually three different aspects of knowing. They are as follows:

1. A knowledge of recognition. If you were to ask me if I knew President Bush I would say yes. But I only recognize who you are referring to.
2. A knowledge of superficial recognition. If you were to ask me if I knew, say, Wayne Mack, I would again say yes. But this time I could say that I have met him. I have even had dinner with him. I have read several of his books. Etc. . . etc.
3. A knowledge of intimacy. Now if you were to ask me if I knew my wife. Well I know her on an entirely different level. I know the details of what she thinks and how she reacts etc. . . etc.

It is this third aspect of knowledge that Jesus is referring to in John 17:3. We, the sinful, self-serving individuals that we are, are actually called into an intimate relationship with the Creator of the universe! This relationship begins immediately upon our redemption and continues to strengthen into eternity. Enjoy this blessing. It is what we were created for!

Taj

Between Two Worlds: Jim Elliot

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose"
Jim Elliot

Check out the video posted at Justin Taylor's blog
Between Two Worlds: Jim Elliot

School

Monday was back to school for us. We really enjoyed the break and it was hard to accept the date the calendar was showing. But it's back to the books and even though it takes a huge amount of work to homeschool ,I enjoy learning all sorts of interesting facts I had forgotten from my school years. We are in the middle of learning division, studying how words are put together, writing, drawing dinosaurs, reading about the Mayflower and the start of our country and we even have time to learn about the cormorants. Know about them? They are a specific kind of water bird that does not waterproof its feathers. It likes to get its feathers soaked so it will sink down to the bottom of the lake, river, or ocean where it can find lots of fish. This kind of bird can dive much deeper than ducks and geese, because its heavy, waterlogged feathers help it sink. Fascinating! What a wonderful design by God!

The girls have fun during school as well. They color, put puzzles together, and play dolls. Recently, Mia has shown interest in learning how to draw letters so I gave her a box lid with salt and she has been drawing several different letters. Simple idea I had heard from a friend. She loves it.

The best thing about homeschool is that we have the opportunity to teach our children about God all throughout the day and give them a biblical worldview. I would take that over a perfectly clean house any day! I have to remind myself of that when I am folding a load of laundry, listening to Grazzin recite math facts, helping Mia cut paper, and smelling Kaci's messy diaper all at the same time! It is hard work but there is nothing I would rather be doing!

Tonya

lots of love

Kaci loves her big brother. She follows him around. She laughes at everything he does. Grazzin loves her too. He gives her anything she wants. Especially rides in the wagon. And the cutest thing is this: every morning when she wakes up, she goes over to Grazzin's bed and crawls in.

Photos with Mia

Mia wanted to pretend like we were at Picture People! Life with our eldest daughter is quite interesting. The girl never stops and she is still wound up by bedtime. The other two fall asleep right away and Mia usually stays awake for another hour. I tease her and tell her that she is just like the mouse in the book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.

A couple of days ago, Mia learned about the popcorn button on the microwave. She thought it was so neat. Then yesterday, as we were finishing lunch, she wanted a cookie from the freezer. I gave it to her and then she asked, " Does the microwave have a cookie button?" We just laughed and laughed!

Thoughts on Motherhood

During this Christmas season, while we were having family devotions, we read about Susanna Wesley and her high view of motherhood as she raised 19 children. Here's a short excerpt:

Susanna from the earliest years let her children read their first lessons from the Bible. She mingled the name of Jesus with their ABC's as she drew out their infant minds with discipline and scholarship.

Once while her husband was away, she wrote the following words to him: "I cannot but look upon every soul you leave under my care as a talent committed to me under trust by the great Lord of all the families both of heaven and earth. And if I am unfaithful to Him or you in neglecting to improve these talents, how shall I answer when He shall command me to render an account of my stewardship?"

Her creativity in mothering led her to zealously promote reading and biblical instruction every day along with the simple singing of psalms. Her passion for prayer led her to pray fervently each day for and with the children.

Susanna's desire was to "take more than ordinary care for their souls". We would be wise to do the same!

Tonya