Brothers

The big one used to dream of having a baby brother. His dream came true aaaaaand they make my heart explode.

Bookworm Post #54564

How he fell asleep. Again.

Decking the Halls

Putting her to work. 🎄

A Prodigy?

Thanksgiving

Well that was fun. And so delicious!

A Day at the Pyramids Unlike Any Other

Yup. That was a pretty good day.

The Pyramid Descending Glee!

I wish you could hear the glee with which my sister climbed backwards down into the pyramid. So fun!

A Greater Age to Come (The Glory of Technology?)

Just this morning I finished reading “12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You” by Tony Reinke. Loved it so much. The author and I share values, and I really appreciated his openness even about his own struggles with technology. I also appreciated that he’s not on either ‘far side of the spectrum’ if you can draw a line between LOVE TECHNOLOGY  and HATE TECHNOLOGY IT’S THE DEVIL (to put it simply). He offers thoughts and many well documented facts and argument for all sides.  He acknowledges the challenges and dangers of smartphones and technology, yet he praises the advancements of man and the incredible tools that can help us tremendously as we serve our God.

He sat with John Piper, who said this (paraphrased) “ Yes, they are glowing tools made mostly by men and women who are not submitted to God… and they are tools that open up my life to a thousand convenient temptations, but used with care and discipline (emphasis mine), the digital tools are a treasure chest of the glories of God”

Mr. Reinke goes on: “For many of us, who lack this maturity, technology feeds our vanity and kills our wonder. At worst, our phones are handheld wands of power that promise to protect our sinful isolation (ouch), showcase our self-aggrandizement (translation: promoting ourselves and our importance, another ouch), prop up our digital tower of self-praise (yup), feed our materialism (totally), lure us to so-called ‘anonymous’ vices (uh-huh), and offer an ‘escape’ (yeppers) from our creaturehood.”

BUT

“When we use our smartphones rightly, their shining screens radiate with the treasure of God’s glory in Christ, and in that glory-glow, we get a sneak peek into a greater age to come.”

That’s it.

Those last words.

A GREATER AGE TO COME

This idea of many more ages to come in Eternity has been rolling around in my head for a couple years. When we look at history, we see different eras and ages… The Middle Ages, The Renaissance, the Golden Age, etc. So if there ages and eras in the past, then we must be in a some sort of ‘Age’ now that will likely be named something besides ‘The Modern Age’ many years in the future once we’re all dead (and by dead I mean alive) and gone (and by gone I mean existing in another place) waiting for Jesus to make His glorious return.

What I’m trying to say here is that as humankind, we are moving forward. We are not stagnant.

So.

Once Jesus has come back and taken some of us to Heaven for eternity, where we shall LIVE FOREVER with each other and with Him, then will the ages not continue there? It is LIFE, after all, and not just a never-ending-church-service (booooring). What does LIFE entail? You know… eating, resting, enjoying friendships and family, work, projects, occasions, celebrations, exploring, researching, learning and ANYTHING ELSE YOU CAN IMAGINE THAT DOESN’T INCLUDE SIN.

I mean, really… life is going to be full. We’re going to look back on this current life and say “ppppfffffff’, that was nuthin”. And the next life (the one that lasts forever after this one that is gone as fast as a vapor) is going to move forward, and it’s going to be exciting and purposeful and we are going to use our gifts and talents and share our lives with old friends and new friends.

And if life is moving forward, and we are continuing to work (work is worship, FYI) and if we’re going to use our gifts like those men and women that God has given amazing minds for rocket engineering and quantum physics and computer engineering… then WHY OH WHY would technology and invention STOP?

It wouldn’t.

It would MOVE FORWARD.

It would move forward in a most wonderful way. The forward motion would involve no sin and everything would truly be done for and with the glory of our creator God.

And so when the author says that “The point of scripture is that the wicked city Babylon and all of its godless machinery (he’s talking about this planet in its current state) will be uprooted and cast away (halleluiah!) to make room for God’s city, the New Jerusalem, shining with sights and technologies now unimaginable and exceeding all human ingenuity and expectation”…

… my spirit screams YYYEEESSS! This is true. God is infinitely creative and creatING (present tense). God lives in us. And we will live together forever in eternity, so PEOPLE, the ages that will come in heaven are going to be beautiful. It means we’re going to keep moving forward. Our technologies in eternal ages to come WILL bring glory to God. Their research and design and creation will be joy-filled work that is pure WORSHIP to His name.

And it’s not just technologies.

The expressions of art and music will be new and fresh time after time.

Those who love to teach are going to find new ways to pass on information with the passion God has put in them.

Writing skills are going to evolve and improve and people will find new avenues of articulation.

Those who can organize and administrate will find new ways to manage lives and information and everything else and have such joy doing that.

Buildings and structures and homes will have new shapes and ideas and constructions.

Fashions will change and evolve.

The foods that we grow and prepare and partake of will endlessly change and surprise and delight us.

I mean seriously.

I could go on and on.

It WILL go on and on.

I can’t wait.

Milestone

Milestone: He can turn on the hall light all by himself! But only if he’s wearing shoes. (And this morning he thought it necessary to wear backpack and crocs over his feetie pajamas just to take the girls down the elevator to catch their ride to school.) I get to spend the day with him, and I’m so happy about it. Will it be easy? Not necessarily. Two days ago he told me in the morning “I need you all day Mama!” And he was right. He needed me all day, so many needs. Joys also. And then he kept saying, all day long... “I so happy Mama.” What a gift to be the center of his world for awhile longer and have the freedom to spend my days with him. Love my little guy.

An Old-Fashioned Moment

Reading aloud while my bigs get creative together (happily)! Sometimes our evenings have moments that feel delightfully old-fashioned, peaceful and meaningful. I’m not gonna lie. These things do not necessarily come naturally to a modern-day home and I work hard to cultivate these things in our homelife. And the more I work at it, the more naturally it happens. For that, I am thankful.

She Bobbed

"Pwau-Doh"

“Dis happy!” “I pway pwau-doh. I make it pwetty.” Such a fun and cute age! ♥️