bedtime for daddy

Since the kids were born, we've always had bedtime routines. Carly and Isaac go to sleep after stories, prayers, rubs, and songs. Carly developed the notion that she needs one rub for every year she's lived. She's five now, so she gets five rubs with five songs. She's told us she even wants 13 when she turns 13. We thought it would get less complicated as the kids get older.

The other night, Jared and I started teasing the kids that they ought to put us to bed this time. They agreed to putting Daddy to bed. He got under his covers, and Isaac came in to lay beside him just like we do with them. He said prayers and then started giving rubs.

Describing the sweetness of this moment is impossible to do on a blog. Isaac started singing softly, "I love you forever, I like you for always, as long as I'm living my baby you'll be..." while he rubbed Daddy's arm back and forth quickly and not so gently. He sweetly sang Barney's I Love You/You Love Me and the first verse to Rock of Ages. Daddy was almost "sleeping." Then Isaac started in on Man of Constant Sorrow. By this time, Carly had joined in. The wailing started between Carly and Isaac: "I AM A MAN...of constant SORROW...I've seen trouble all my DAYS..." and it went on the whole length of the song. Biting his lips to keep from laughing, Jared continued to act like he was sleeping with a little chuckle here and there. It didn't work well when the kids finished that song and started singing I'm in the Jailhouse Now..."Knew a man named Gamblin' Bob, he used to steal gamble and rob......he's in the jailhouse now......I told him once or twice to stop playin' cards and a shootin' dice; he's in the jailhouse now..." clear to the yodels in the chorus! HOW do kids learn these words?!

I don't remember who ended up putting the kids to bed that night. All I remember is that Daddy wasn't asleep when the kids left his bedroom.

our babies

just two years ago...

Holiness of God

I wanted to sleep in this Saturday morning. Something kept me awake, though. It was the gnawing feeling of shame. Shame on me, and shame on the world. We don't even realize just how puffed up we make ourselves.

A few months ago, I listened to R.C. Sproul talk about the Holiness of God. You can read a recap of it here in one of R.C. Sproul's messages. After acknowledging and grasping the truth of this message, we should feel little. Because we are little. It had been a while since I had listened to this message, and I was starting to puff myself up again, considering myself better than I really was.

Do we even realize what HOLY means? It is moral blamelessness. Jerry Bridges calls it "separated from sin and, therefore, consecrated to God. The word signifies 'separation to God, and the conduct befitting those so separated.'" Bridges titles his book The Pursuit of Holiness because of the biblical command, "'Pursue holiness, for without holiness no one will see the Lord' (Hebrews 12:14, author's paraphrase)." He goes on to say that this takes diligence and effort through Christ, and yes, this will be a lifelong task, which won't be attained in this life.

So if this post goes as it should, you and I will read Sproul's message on God's holiness. We should be humbled knowing just how holy, holy, holy God is. God is not Someone we will ever fully understand, but the more we know, the more we are put in our place. The fewer times we try to fully grasp God's holiness, the more puffed up we become. Coming face-to-face with God's glory would drive us to our knees, our faces to the ground. Why don't we do that now? Because it's not proper? If we fully understood the holiness of God, we would.