Oscar-worthy Performance: Best Temper Tantrum

This kid needs to go to acting school when he's older...

In this video, he puts on an amazing performance -- certainly the best temper-tantrum ever! The funniest part is how he doesn't want his audience to miss a thing.

HILARIOUS!!

God, Einstein and Quantum Theory

My 5-year-old son, Jamie, is really fascinated with the solar system, space exploration and the universe as a whole. Ever since he watched the space shuttle Atlantis launch on TV last June, learning about outer space has been his passion. We've learned that our solar system is just one tiny part of the Milky Way galaxy, and that there are millions more galaxies in the universe. Many astronomers believe the universe goes on forever, and still others believe that there are new formations every day. It's so hard to conceive of the vastness and splendor of the universe. I amazed that God not only could conceive of the universe, but he created it.

All if this has reignited an interest in me to learn a bit more about astronomy. I found this short article that discusses Albert Einstein's view of God. He believed in a Creator, but not in a personal God who has a specific will. Everything, according to Einstein, simply followed the patterns and natural laws that God put in place. Because of this, he rejected quantum theory, which asserted that there is some randomness to the universe. Newer discoveries in astrophysics are giving proof to quantum theory (which, frankly, I don't even begin to understand) and that there are both randomness and rules in the universe. It's as if the Master Artist had a plan for his creation, but just for his own pleasure, threw in a few unexpected elements to spice it up a bit. Now that's not so hard to imagine, is it?

For the complete article, Einstein’s View of God by Nancy Ellen Abrams and Joel R. Primack, click here.

Brokenness and Restoration

This past Sunday, our church started a six-week series entitled "Lent". It's hard to believe, but we are swiftly approaching Easter and the celebration of Jesus' resurrection from the grave and death's ultimate defeat. Now is a good opportunity to spend extra time reflecting upon the life of Jesus and the reason why he came from heaven to earth in the first place.

The first step for me in reflecting upon the sacrifice of Jesus is to examine my own brokenness and need of healing. Last Sunday's message re-focused my attention on my need for a Savior. (To hear an audio recording of the message, click on Southside Church Podcasts on the left-hand column of my blog.) The truth is, all of us are broken -- we all have hurts, habits and hang-ups that keep us from living the full, abundant lives he desires for us. I need to spend some time examining my life, asking God to help me see all the hurts in my life that have caused me to become too protective of myself, perhaps causing me to keep some people at arm's length who might really need a friend to love them. (Once again, it's about loving others as much as I love myself -- something that does not come naturally to me.) I also need to ask God to show me what habits and hang-ups I have that are getting in the way of loving Him with my whole being and also loving others as myself.

The great news of God's love is that he wants to restore our broken lives to his original design, so we can have unbroken, eternal fellowship with him. God wants to make us whole again. Jesus came from heaven to earth, lived sinlessly, died sacrificially and rose from the dead to make that restoration possible. God's love for us is relentless -- he never gives up. His mercy and grace endure forever.

Although I've probably sung it hundreds of times, the old hymn Amazing Grace has a whole new meaning to me this Lenten season than ever before.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

Growing to Maturity

I've been reading the book Seasons of a Mother's Heart by Sally Clarkson. Honestly, if it had not been given to me, I probably would have never picked it up off the bookstore shelf. Neither the title nor the cover are especially eye-catching, and I had never heard of the author. I have since learned that Sally Clarkson is a homeschooling mom, who alongside her husband, Clay, directs Whole Heart Ministries. In this book, she shares some honest and true wisdom about the awesome task of raising children. I really appreciate how she never loses sight of her long-term goals as a mother. Here are two excerpts from the chapter entitled Planning to Live that really resonated with me.

"Finally, I know that it is not enough to raise children into adults who know God's word and walk in God's ways. To be fully trained, they must also do God's work. That is what it means to have integrity as a Christian -- to be fully integrated with God's purposes. God's truth may fill their minds, and his Spirit may be at work in their hearts, but the process is incomplete until the passion of Jesus for the lost and hurting moves their hands to reach out to the people for whom he died."

"There is no doubt in my mind that personal ministry is the missing measure of Christian maturity in the evangelical church today. Truth and character alone do not fully define a mature Christian."

Those statements challenge me not only as a mother, but in my own walk with Christ, as well. The second of the two quotes I feel is a good summary of what I have mistakenly believed defined a mature Christian for much of my life: if a person knows and believes all the Biblical truths and lives a moral life, that person must be a mature Christian. I now know that's a shallow definition of Christian maturity. What did Jesus say were the two greatest commandments? To sum it up: love God and love others - unconditionally. That kind of love does not come naturally. It only comes from the transformation God works in my heart and mind, as he molds me into a mature Christian. It's very easy to hide behind the facade of right living and right knowledge and try to fool people into believing I've got my Christian life all together, but in the words of the Apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 13), "if I have not love, I am nothing."

Heart Transformation

Last night, our family attended our weekly small group meeting with our friends from our church. A small group is a group of 8-10 (or more or less) people who meet together usually in someone's home for the purpose of getting to know each other, forming meaningful friendships, and learning together how to follow Jesus. Let me just say, we really enjoy our small group! My husband and I have made new friends through our group, and our kids love playing with the other kids each week. I think both my husband and I would say we have been personally challenged through many of our small group discussions, as well as the examples of others in our group. Additionally, for me as a stay-at-home mom, it really is like a mid-week oasis, where I can be refreshed by filling up on adult conversation and fellowship while having a babysitter in charge of my kids for two hours!

Our discussion last night, led by my husband, who had prepared questions centered on the second half of James Chapter 2 - often thought of as the "Faith and Deeds" passage - really challenged me. James talks about how faith in Christ and living like Christ go hand in hand. You can't have one without the other. Christ IN you changes you, and your actions should follow. All of the discussion of good deeds (which certainly should accompany sincere faith in Christ) made me start to think how easily my mind and heart can become focused on my good deeds and no longer focused on Christ. How many times have I acted in a pure and kind way without a thought, only to later pollute it with pride by admiring myself for being so kind and thoughtful? What happened to Christlike humility? It's almost paradoxical: Christ's love in me compels me to act in a selfless way, but afterwards, my own pride regarding my good deed causes my innate self-centeredness to rear it's ugly head once again.

The truth is, it's so much easier to focus on my outward actions than my inner thoughts and attitudes. When I honestly examine my attitudes, I'm quickly reminded that I have no reason to be proud, but instead have a great need for heart transformation and mind renewal. John Ortberg, in his book The Life You've Always Wanted, asserts that this transformation that we all need to experience through Christ in our lives is literally a metamorphosis - becoming someone totally new. I am completely aware of my natural tendency to be self-centered, but I'm grateful that God continues to work on my heart and mind, slowly morphing me into someone who has a heart like His. I have a long way to go, but thankfully the Master artist never gives up on perfecting His work in me. I just need to get out of the way and let him do it.

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is -- his good, pleasing and perfect will."
--Romans 12:2