We All Need "Grace-Healed Eyes"

...I understand better the dangers Jesus discussed so incisively in the Sermon on the Mount: how quickly we accuse others of murder and neglect our own anger, or of adultery and neglect our own lust. Grace dies when it becomes us verses them.

As Helmut Thielicke wrote:

'Jesus gained the power to love harlots, bullies, and ruffians...he was able to do this only because he saw through the filth and crust of degeneration, because his eye caught the divine original which is hidden in every way--in every man!...First and foremost he gives us new eyes....

When Jesus loved a guilt-laden person and helped him, he saw in him an erring child of God. He saw in him a human being whom his Father loved and grieved over because he was going wrong. He saw him as God originally designed and meant him to be, and therefore he saw through the surface layer of grime and dirt to the real man underneath. Jesus did not identify the person with his sin, but rather saw in this sin something alien, something that really did not belong to him, something that merely chained and mastered him and from which he would free him and bring him back to his real self. Jesus was able to love men because he loved them right through the layer of mud.'

We may be abominations, but we are still God's pride and joy. All of us in the church need 'grace-healed eyes' to see the potential in others for the same grace that God has so lavishly bestowed on us. 'To love a person,' said Dostoevsky, 'means to see him as God intended him to be.'

(From What's So Amazing About Grace by Philip Yancey)

Day Out With KK

Today was a "date" for me and KK. He had decided that he wanted to pick up a cheeseburger and take it to the park to play, but the rainy weather scrapped that plan for us. Instead, I thought maybe he'd like to go bowling...so I asked him what he thought and he could hardly contain himself through church this morning--he was SO excited! However, he had a change of heart after church when he remembered the ESPN bowling shows that we've watched on TV. He remembered the audience and sports commentators watching the professional bowlers and said "Mom, I've changed my mind...I think I'll be embarrassed at bowling." Once I reassured him that there was definitely NO audience at the bowling alley to watch us, he was good to go! I'm starting to wonder how he's going to do with the whole baseball scenario this summer--I think I'll skip telling him the part about the "audience" of parents that'll be watching him play baseball!

The Mads Goes to the Dentist

The Mads had her first dentist appointment this week. Mrs. Barbara, the dental assistant, was fabulous! She let MG's bunny and piggy also put on bibs and get their teeth cleaned too. I had no idea that I would get to sit in the dental chair and hold MG. It made it so much easier for her (and Mommy :) This dentist takes a picture with the kids on their first visit. Mrs. Barbara kept telling MG to smile and she kept opening wide...so there were no smiles for this picture, but she sure does a good job opening wide!

Another Camp Out

The boys still haven't had their fill of camping out in the backyard. I think they'd live out there if we'd let them! Their friends got to come camp out with them tonight...we roasted hot dogs and made smores. We had a blast...hopefully everyone will sleep good tonight!

The Boys

The women are ruling the roost! All the men in our family are outside tonight. No, I did not kick them out of the house (although I'm tempted to do that from time to time!). Kevin bought a tent today and had to immediately set it up in our backyard to "test it out"--well, the rest is history. They have spent the entire afternoon and evening hours outside with Daddy playing in the tent, rebuilding the fire pit, and gathering sticks. I think I even saw them pounding on their chests a few times as JC announced repeatedly that Mommy can't sleep outside with the boys. The last time I checked on them, they were curled up in their sleeping bags and watching Super Friends on Kev's laptop. I think this is just the beginning of many male-bonding excursions for our household. When Mads gets a little older, she and I can paint toenails and watch girlie movies. Here are pictures of the last time I checked on the boys...hopefully all 3 of them will sleep good tonight!

Snow!