Two weeks ago when Kirsten and I announced to the church that we were expecting our first child, I mentioned how fascinated I am by pregnancy calendars. These pregnancy calendars tell you about your baby and what it is like according to how many weeks the woman has been pregnant. We are currently 10 weeks into this pregnancy. Here is an excerpt from one pregnancy calendar I enjoy explaining the baby at conception:
“Although you won’t know it for months yet, the gender of your baby and his or her eye and hair color, and even to some extent his or her personality, has all already been determined. The moment sperm met egg and you and your partner each chipped in your 23 chromosomes to create this new person, all of that was instantaneously worked out.”
It is amazing to me that as soon as the baby’s life begins, everything about it has been determined. God has made this process in such a way that the baby inherits characteristics from both parents. The baby will look, act, and speak like us because it has inherited our DNA. But one thing that is chilling to me is the fact that my child inherited more than just DNA from me. Because my child will be born of the seed of a sinful man, my child will have also inherited sin from me. This is the reality of our fallen condition. This sinful lineage started with Adam, and it continues to this day.
Romans 5:17 states “For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man…”. In one sense, because Adam represented all men as the head of the human race, his sin condemned all who would follow (Romans 5:18). But in another sense, because Adam’s flesh became corrupted by sin, all those who are sons of Adam are born with a body corrupted by sin. In fact, the Scriptures refer to this fallen condition as “the flesh.” My child will be born in “the flesh”, and in need of the grace of God (Romans 8:7-8).
This is why I am so thankful for the One who was born who was not of the line of Adam, but was born of the Spirit of God (Matthew 1:20). Jesus was born free from the guilt of indwelling sin. Jesus also lived a life of perfect obedience to the law of God, and thus was able to die in man’s place to pay the price of their sin (2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 1:21-22). And those who have faith in the perfect life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ are saved and “born again” to new life with God (Ephesians 2:1-10; Philippians 3:9-11).
This is why I have begun to pray for my child that they would come to know and love Jesus. I pray that my child would one day be drawn by God’s Spirit into the grace of God the Father to Salvation through God the Son. From me my child will inherit sin. From Christ, my child will receive an “inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading” (1 Peter 1:4).
One thing I have learned as a bulldog owner: When the dog is in another room and is making a lot of noise that isn’t snoring, it is typically bad. Normally this means Zoe is chewing on something she shouldn’t or scooting on the carpet or something else that is undesirable. The other day I noticed a lot of noise so I did what any good owner would do: I grabbed the video camera and investigated. This is what I found:
Dog Noises from rob pilkerton on Vimeo.
I got a new desk for my office and I like to offer stuff to friends/family before I donate it. So if you would like the desk below, just let me know and it’s yours. It’s obviously used, but it’s not in terrible shape.
On Monday, January 25, I was working on changing the lock of the house we just moved into when Kirsten came home from work. I asked her to give me a hand and when she came back from changing her clothes, I could tell she was a little aloof. I asked her if everything was ok. She started crying and walked toward me holding up a white stick with two pink lines on it. I was stunned. After all, I’m trying to change a door lock! We hugged and cried and both of us felt scared and a little overwhelmed. These were not tears of disappointment. I want to make that clear. It’s just that neither one of us exactly had “baby” at the top of our To-Do List. However, we said from the beginning of our marriage that if God were to grace us with a child unexpectedly then we’d be excited at His grace toward us and go from there.
We chose to tell very few people for the first three weeks because of the risk of miscarriage. But today we had our first appointment with the OB and we got to see the baby’s heartbeat on the sonogram (click here for picture).
So we are excited to tell everyone now that we are 8 weeks along, and are due to have our first child on September 30, 2010.
How can you pray for us?:
- Please pray for Kirsten’s Health.
- Please pray for the health of the baby.
- Please join me in praying for our baby to know and love Jesus.
- Please pray for wisdom for Kirsten and I as we have big decisions to make about a lot of things in the coming months.
Developing….
In Matthew chapter 12, Jesus makes three HUGE statements about himself that would have rattled his hearers to the core (especially his Jewish audience). These statements should shake us up today, as well. What are they?
Matthew 12:6 – “I tell you, something greater than the temple is here.”
What was the temple? The temple is where Jews would go to make sacrifices, worship, and to communicate with God. For centuries, the temple had been the very dwelling place of God. And Jesus is saying that something greater than the temple had arrived. R.T. France writes that “it is hard to overestimate the shock value of this pronouncement.” Jesus declared that his presence was greater than the temple. What could be greater than the place where sacrifices are made for sin? Jesus, God come to earth, to be man’s ultimate sacrifice for sin.
2) Matthew 12:41 – “The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.”
Jonah was one of God’s prophets. The prophets in the Old Testament were tasked by God to speak on his behalf. When fulfilling their prophetic duties, the Prophets were speaking the very words of God. When God used Jonah to preach repentance to the city of Nineveh, the entire city went into a state of repentance for their disobedience to God. But Jesus declared that “something greater than Jonah is here.” What could be greater than a man who speaks the very words of God? Jesus, God come to earth as man, who would himself preach repentance to the world.
3) Matthew 12:42 – “The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.”
Here Jesus is referring to the account found in 1 Kings 10 where the Queen of Sheba embarked on a “fact finding mission” to see if Solomon lived up to his reputation. In 1 Kings 3 we read that God blessed Solomon with more wisdom and discernment than anyone who lived before or after him. Solomon’s fame was known throughout the world and the Queen came to Solomon loaded with her toughest questions. In 1 Kings 10:6 we see that the Queen was blown away by Solomon’s wisdom and stated that everything she had heard about him was true. So when Jesus states in Matthew 12 that “something greater than Solomon is here”, what is he saying? That the wisest king who had ever lived was still lesser than he. The wisdom of God had descended upon the earth in Jesus, the King of Kings.
In Matthew 12 we see Jesus’ claims of being the Ultimate Priest, Prophet, and King. We should worship him as such! Jesus was not some self-help guru who wanted to tell people how to feel great about themselves. He was the Sacrifice made for the sin of the world. He was the very words of God living among us. His wisdom dwarfs the wisest of all men. And he lives today! So why do we use him as if he serves our needs? We worship HIM! We serve HIM! Something greater than us is here!
Ray Ortlund writes:
How to wreck your church in three weeks
Week One: Walk into church today and think about how long you’ve been a member, how much you’ve sacrificed, how under-appreciated you are. Take note of every way you’re dissatisfied with your church now. Take note of every person who displeases you.
Meet for coffee this week with another member and “share your heart.” Discuss how your church is changing, how you are being left out. Ask your friend who else in the church has “concerns.” Agree together that you must “pray about it.”
Week Two: Send an email to a few other “concerned” members. Inform them that a groundswell of grievance is surfacing in your church. Problems have gone unaddressed for too long. Ask them to keep the matter to themselves “for the sake of the body.”
As complaints come in, form them into a petition to demand an accounting from the leaders of the church. Circulate the petition quietly. Gathering support will be easy. Even happy members can be used if you appeal to their sense of fairness – that your side deserves a hearing. Be sure to proceed in a way that conforms to your church constitution, so that your petition is procedurally correct.
Week Three: When the growing moral fervor, ill-defined but powerful, reaches critical mass, confront the elders with your demands. Inform them of all the woundedness in the church, which leaves you with no choice but to put your petition forward. Inform them that, for the sake of reconciliation, the concerns of the body must be satisfied.
Whatever happens from this point on, you have won. You have changed the subject in your church from gospel advance to your own grievances. To some degree, you will get your way. Your church will need three or four years for recovery. But at any future time, you can do it all again. It only takes three weeks.
Just one question. Even if you are being wronged, “Why not rather suffer wrong?” (1 Corinthians 6:7).
“Christianity will indeed accomplish many useful things in this world, but if it is accepted in order to accomplish those useful things it is not Christianity. Christianity will combat Bolshevism; but if it is accepted in order to combat Bolshevism, it is not Christianity: Christianity will produce a unified nation, in a slow but satisfactory way; but if it is accepted in order to produce a unified nation, it is not Christianity: Christianity will produce a healthy community; but if it is accepted in order to produce a healthy community, it is not Christianity: Christianity will promote international peace; but if it is accepted in order to promote international peace, it is not Christianity. Our Lord said: ‘Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.’ But if you seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness in order that all those other things may be added unto you, you will miss both those other things and the Kingdom of God as well.”
- J. Gresham Machen from Christianity and Liberalism
At the risk of getting myself in trouble……I’ll add my own: “Christianity will help you govern well; but if it is accepted to get you elected, it is not Christianity.”
MOST SUGAR-PACKED COFFEE DRINK
Starbucks Tazo Green Tea Frappuccino Blended Crème with Whipped Cream (20 ounces)
97 g sugars
650 calories
15 g fat (8 g saturated, 0 g trans)
SUGAR EQUIVALENT: 11 York Dark Chocolate Covered Peppermint Patties
While green tea has myriad health benefits, presentation is key—and this green tea concoction has been so nutritionally sullied that any potential benefits are utterly lost. Not only does this one drink contain over a quarter of your day’s calories, it also packs nearly half a day’s worth of saturated fat—and, as we mention above, as much sugar as you’ll find in 11 Peppermint Patties. Your best bet when ordering at a coffee chain is to skip the fancy drinks altogether. Order a regular green tea, without all the trimmings.
Drink This Instead!
Tazo Tea (Venti)
0 g sugars
0 calories
0 g fat
This, and other sugar-packed superlatives can be found HERE.
Week One couldn’t have gone worse for my picks, but I’m confident that week two will be much better.
Saints vs Cardinals – Saints
Colts vs Ravens – Colts
Vikings vs Cowboys – Cowboys (this is my road win upset special)
Chargers vs Jets – Chargers
Round One:
Jets @ Bengals – Bengals*
Eagles @ Cowboys – Eagles
Ravens @ Patriots – Patriots
Packers @ Cardinals – Packers
* – I have to caveat this pick by saying that I’m posting this while the game is under way and the Bengals have already scored, but I still would have picked them.