At the Madison Zoo

Act Like Men

Why the Act Like Men Conference Video from Harvest Bible Chapel 1 on Vimeo.

TREVIN WAX|6:36 PM CT

I Weep for Miley

Picking up a sub sandwich today, I saw a news report on CNN about Miley Cyrus’ performance at last night’s VMA’s. I was shocked, then sickened, then saddened.

For the rest of the day, I wondered:

What kind of people are we?

What kind of culture have we created?

What do we want our children to be?

No more wondering. Tonight, I weep.

I weep for the little girl who gave us Hannah Montana and became a role model to millions of little girls across America.

I weep for the lostness of a girl who doesn’t see herself stumbling around in the dark.

I weep for the news channels that profit from their all-day coverage of a young woman spiraling out of control.

I weep for the American Idol culture that promises glitter and gold to children, then chews them up and spits them out.

I weep for an entertainment culture that celebrates the breaking of every social taboo and the casting off of every restraint, only then to turn and mock the stars that follow suit.

I weep for a tabloid culture that finds celebrity gossip and embarrassing moments titillating.

I weep for women enslaved by a false view of sexual liberation.

I weep for men (myself included) who have failed to say, “Enough is enough.”

I weep for all the times I’ve looked at women as objects and failed to see them as someone’s sisters and daughters.

I weep for the fathers of Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Madonna, and all the family members of all the other women who feel they have to sexualize themselves to achieve success.

I weep for my five-year-old little girl, who twirls around like a princess and hugs me tight at night, when I think of the world she is growing up in, the world I will send her into.

I weep for the broken, messed-up world we live in.

But then I weep at the power of grace.

There’s Jesus, lifting the head of a woman of the night and sending her away into the light. There’s Jesus in a crowd, healing a woman desperately trying to cover the shame. There’s Jesus at the well, transforming a woman tossed aside by multiple men.

Weeping is no longer enough. Now, I pray.

Coffeetable Crossings

Birthday Fun

Yesterday, we celebrated our little boy's 3rd birthday. After a nice birthday breakfast, we headed out to the Illinois Railway Museum and enjoyed their annual "Day Out with Thomas" event. Both kids are big fans of the Thomas the Train, and among the many things to see and do at this event, we all got to ride a full scale, 10 car passenger train pulled by the REAL Thomas! We also toured old train cars, took a separate train into the country in a 101 year-old Chicago passenger car, got Thomas tattoos, viewed old train artifacts and enjoyed the enthusiasm of thousands of other young Thomas fans. Cake and presents came late at the end of a long day, but we enjoyed every minute and went to sleep with hearts filled with gratitude. The joy we've experienced by watching Izaiah grow and thrive these last 2 years has been a blessing beyond words. As he now begins to talk and express himself in new ways every day, we echo the words of the Apostle Paul, "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth". Blessed be His Name. Happy birthday Izaiah Qing Eugene!! Being your mommy and daddy feels too good to be true. You are a gift straight from above.

At the Ballpark

Seeing Differently

Photographer Sees Beyond Disabilities and Redefines Beauty from anberlin_fan on GodTube.

Little Man Down

Blindsided by God …

An amazing testimony about coming to terms with our view of God in seasons of suffering.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2013/july-august/peter-chin-blindsided-by-god.html?paging=off#bmb=1


Sent from my iPhone

Bedazzled!!

Ice Cream!!!

An ice cream truck has been making it's way through our neighborhood lately. Lily knew exactly what it was the 2nd time it came by!!

Fun with Friends

Counting

Note that he's the one leading, we're only repeating. These sounds, although they may sound garbled to some, are a huge breakthrough and show us that Izaiah is finally learning to mimic what he hears and, in this case, what he learns and memorizes.

Motorboy

Family Update

It's been a while since we've posted here. We've just returned from our first official family vacation. We spent a full week in the beautiful Northwoods of Wisconsin and it was absolutely wonderful. We stayed in a lovely lakeside home in Lake Tomahawk, where we fished (Lily loved it; Izaiah was undecided), hiked, visited a zoo, went pony trail riding, ate too much, hung out with bald eagles and just generally relaxed and enjoyed tons of time together. On Friday, June 28th we celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary, which made this trip extra special for us. July 4th was spent in the tourist town of Minocqua, where we enjoyed a great parade, went to a ski show and finished out the long day watching fireworks. It was a wonderful trip, but as always, it's good to be back home. Both kids continue to amaze us every day. Izaiah is starting to sound out words and his joyful personality is blooming before our eyes. Lily is the power plant at the center of our home. Her energy and vitality are what makes parenting that unique joy that keeps us both moving and active! She is a doting sister who shows incredible attention to detail and a love for books and learning. We'll try to update more often, but time flies and days roll by at breakneck speed. We're learning to live in the moment and enjoy these precious days that God gives, but which disappear woefully fast.

Love to all,

EnJ