Reflections on Having (Another) Boy

On Tuesday, my wife and I found out that we were going to be having our fourth boy. We currently have three boys, aged six, three, and one, and we were a little surprised to find out that we were going to have a fourth (yes, I know how that happens). We prayed for a little girl and we were hoping that it was going to be a girl. I had even picked out a name and was referring to the baby as a "she." Needless to say, there was some letdown when we saw that "special part" on the ultrasound.

Here are some thoughts I have about having a family of all boys.

1. I know all about little boys. My wife and I have very busy lives. She runs a very successful blog and babysits a house full of kids. I teach full-time, do a large number of after-school activities, volunteer at the church, and study a good deal. As a result, surprises are typically unwelcome. Having had three boys, there are very few surprises. We know what to expect.
   
2. My boys help me be a better man. As I've lived in front of my boys, I've come to realize that they are going to grow into the men that I've modeled for them. This is an awesome responsibility. If I disrespect my wife or other women in my life, they will do the same. I want my boys to grow up to love their mother, their wives, their families, their God, their Bible, and their church. I have a responsibility and privilege to teach them how a man is to act toward others so that they can carry on that legacy when they become men.
   
3. The dream of adoption continues to be alive. My wife and I have long discussed the idea of adopting. For me, there is no clearer picture of God's love for us than to adopt a child and make her a part of our family, showing unconditional love for someone who is not related by blood. If we had found out that the baby currently growing inside my wife was a girl, I think that dream may have been shelved for a while, if not indefinitely. Now, knowing that we are having a little boy, we can continue to dream of the day we make our family a little bigger through the joy of adoption. Plus, we get to continue the domestic vs. international just a little longer.
   
4. God must really love Pearsons. Okay, this one is a bit of a joke, but with the number of Pearsons that are coming from my family, that is one name that will be around for quite some time.
   

Did I want to find out that we are having a little girl? Absolutely. Am I disappointed? Not at all. We serve a powerful God who knows what is best for each of us. God has deemed Tina and me worthy enough to have another little boy and I wouldn't change that fact for anything in the world.

Music Wednesday - Beautiful Things by Gungor

President Obama, You Can't Choose to Be a Christian When It is Convenient

I am not one to write about politics very often. I will argue politics (and get very heated about them), but I usually don't write about them. However, a few things have happened recently that have really irked me in regards to President Barack Obama. It is a well known fact that our president claims to be a Christian. When he was running for president in 2008, he sat down with Pastor Rick Warren and quoted Micah 6:8. He will often refer to his Christian faith. But here's the deal: while I'm not one to question the validity of someone's faith claims, it would appear to me that President Obama only uses his Christianity when he believes it will help him in the polls.

Recently, President Obama claimed that the reason he was so adamant about taxing the wealthy and giving their money to others was based his Christian faith. He referenced Luke 12:48 as the reason why it is acceptable and required that the wealthy pay even more taxes.

The second thing that President Obama did was to require that all religious organizations provide medical benefits that would include contraceptives, including ones that would induce an abortion. This is not a suggestion; it was a requirement, one that was done even when he was urged by others not to do so.

If I may be so bold as to address the president for a moment: Mr. President, while I am thankful that you claim to be a Christian, and I hope that it is true, I find it difficult to reconcile the things that you do and the laws that you pass with what the Bible teaches. As Christians, we have the joy and the pleasure to help others out of a love for our Savior, not because we are required to by the government. Many Christians are extremely generous individuals. We strive to help others and meet their needs. While I am sure that you are desiring the same thing, forcing individuals to do so through taxes is not the appropriate way to go about it.

Additionally, Mr. President, your requirement that religious organizations provide means to abortive contraceptives is overstepping your bounds. As Christians, we are called to respect life, knowing that all life is made in the image of God. Your policies do not mesh with these beliefs. I'm sorry, sir, but I do not believe that what you are doing here is right.

Mr. President, you cannot be a Christian when it is convenient or when you think it will be good for you in the polls. Being a Christian requires every aspect of your life. Again, while I have no desire to question your spiritual condition, I think that it is important for you to read 1 John before making any more claims as to being a Christian. Sir, there is much about your life that is causing many to question if you are truly a believer or simply one that is using the name of Jesus to get ahead in the polls. I pray that it is the former.

Sex Outside of Marriage is a Lie

Sex outside of marriage is a lie. Not a lie as in “sex outside of marriage doesn’t exist” or “sex outside of marriage is not wrong after all.” No, what I mean is that sex outside of marriage is an attempt to tell yourself and others that you are something that you are not. Allow me to explain what I mean.

If you read about the first couple (Adam and Eve) from Genesis 2, you will see this unique and interesting passage in Genesis 2:24. It says, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” Do you see the phrase “become one flesh”? That means that the man and the woman become one person when they come together in a sexual relationship. When they are intimate together, they are declaring to the world that they have become one with each other. My wife and I are one because our souls and bodies are now knit together. Of course, they are not knit together like Bob and Walt (from Stuck On You), but you know what I mean.

Now, here is where the lie comes in. When you have a sexual relationship with someone, you are declaring to her (or him), yourself, and everyone you know that you are now one. But you aren’t really one, are you? It was just a temporary thing, even if you are in a long-term committed relationship. Basically, when you have sex before you get married, you are declaring to the world that you are a member of a club that you have not yet joined. It is the same as if you walked around wearing clothes from a particular college, talking about that college, acting like you are a student at that college, even though you’ve never been accepted or even applied to the school. Okay, I know my analogy falls a little short, but I think you can understand. Sex outside of marriage says you belong to something that you don’t. It makes you a liar. And funny how the world hates liars, but having sex is perfectly acceptable.

Don’t be a liar.

Who I Am - Most Influential Films in My Life

To almost anyone who will listen, I like to say that my personality was shaped most by 80s movies and 90s alternative rock. Being born in 1979, I grew up in the 1990s, but I remember watching the films of the 1980s the most. I have the most fond memories of summers watching classic films. Below is a list of the films that I believe have influenced my personality the most.

	The Goonies is one of the greatest films ever made, especially to anyone who would be a part of the Gen X (can we still use that term?) age bracket. There are so many quotable lines and memorable scenes in this film. It is an instant community builder. Start quoting a line from the film and instantly everyone in the room who has seen the movie will start laughing and having a good time.
Gremlins is probably one of the funniest movies ever. It is my understanding that Gremlins was the reason the PG-13 rating came to be. It was rated PG, but after parents took their children to see and the nightmares began, the stronger rating was adopted. I remember watching this in the theater and being terrified to go upstairs at my house. To this day, I still get chills at Christmas time whenever that song is played. You know what song I'm talking about. The choir sang it this year at church and it was all I could do to keep from running out of the auditorium. The sequel is pretty funny as well.
	While I never skipped school, this movie certainly made me want to. I promise it doesn't get any cooler than Ferris Bueller. So many good lines and classic moments. I drop quotes from this movie all the time. And Abe Frohman has to be the greatest alias ever, surpassing Art Vandelay and even Chuck Finlay.
I'm pretty sure The Karate Kid led to more actual fights in my house than any other movie. My brothers and I would watch this film and then hold our own karate tournaments. It was supposed to be pretend, but someone would also hit or kick the other too hard and even though there is no pain in this dojo, as soon as the crying stopped, the gloves would come off. It tears me apart that they made a remake of this film. Blasphemy and sacrilege.

I got to watch a lot of movies and television when I was growing up. The joys of being a latch-key kid. As a result, my sermons and teaching is often peppered with illustrations and subtle references to these and other films from my childhood. I feel bad for kids who don't have great movies to grow up on.

Music Wednesday - Skeleton Bones by John Mark McMillan

These Are the Nebraska Years

Jon Acuff, in his book Quitter, wrote this passage that seemed particularly fitting.

These are the years when you'll travel 2,000 miles in cold temperatures to speak to fewer people than an NFL team. These are the years you'll throw away canvas after canvas because the colors refuse to cooperate. These are the years you'll teach three people how to swing dance when the studio space you rented would fit eighty.

What Jon is describing is the period of time that everyone goes through before they arrive at their dream. My dream is to be a pastor. My dream is to work at a church and minister to people. My dream is to share God's Word with others. My dream is to see lives changed through God's working.

Right now, my dream hasn't come true. I send out resumes and get no response. I have a Sunday School class with two people in it. I get asked to preach about once a month (and I am extremely thankful for it). Sometimes I get asked to preach at the church two hours from my house that has a congregation of 12 people. I write a blog that, on a good day, 16 people will visit.

These are the Nebraska years.

I'm going to look back one day and see that it was all worth it. Right now, it's a little hard to do.