JACKSON: Jesus Knows What Infinity Plus Infinity Equals

I love my kids.

Jackson, our 5 year old, recently broke his elbow.  This is the second of our 3 children to break an arm at the age of 5.  Parents of the year we are not.

Jackson is the full of life adventurer type.  At a year old he was already climbing out of his crib, climbing onto the top of the kitchen table and pushing chairs around the kitchen.  When I contacted my mom to inform her of his broken arm, she replied, "I'm really sorry that that happened to him, but to be honest, I'm really surprised he hasn't already broken a bone!"

He also has a big bold spirit.  I wrote about that previously when I compared him to C.S. Lewis' Reepicheep from the Narnia series.  While reading the Narnia books to the kids, Jackson saw a picture of Reepicheep and claimed that the mouse was him.  Now, I don't think that Jackson was identifying with a rodent.  I think he was identifying with the absolutely fearless bold faith of Reepicheep because that is exactly what Jackson is.

So, when Jackson went to the ER, he entertained the masses with classic gems from his Jackson Lexicon. One of the pearls of wisdom that he tossed out to the entertained ER staff was the following:

"Jesus is the smartest. He knows everything.  He even knows what infinity plus infinity is.  I don't even know if infinity is really a number, but He knows what it equals."

It's so awesome to have my little guy testifying before people about the greatness of our God.

It's also a funny little story but an important reminder of my own failings in trusting God's wisdom and proclaiming it publicly.

Jesus DOES know what infinity plus infinity equals.  He knows everything.  And yet our grown-up adult view of faith seems to fail to grasp that truth when we are dealing with something monumentally scary in our lives.

It's like Job.  I love when God shows up to answer him in Job 38:

1 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said: 2 "Who is this who darkens counsel By words without knowledge? 3 Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me. 4 "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. 5 Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? 6 To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, 7 When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy? 8 "Or who shut in the sea with doors, When it burst forth and issued from the womb; 9 When I made the clouds its garment, And thick darkness its swaddling band; 10 When I fixed My limit for it, And set bars and doors; 11 When I said, 'This far you may come, but no farther, And here your proud waves must stop!' 12 "Have you commanded the morning since your days began, And caused the dawn to know its place, 13 That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, And the wicked be shaken out of it? 14 It takes on form like clay under a seal, And stands out like a garment. 15 From the wicked their light is withheld, And the upraised arm is broken. 16 "Have you entered the springs of the sea? Or have you walked in search of the depths? 17 Have the gates of death been revealed to you? Or have you seen the doors of the shadow of death? 18 Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth? Tell Me, if you know all this. 19 "Where is the way to the dwelling of light? And darkness, where is its place, 20 That you may take it to its territory, That you may know the paths to its home? 21 Do you know it, because you were born then, Or because the number of your days is great? 22 "Have you entered the treasury of snow, Or have you seen the treasury of hail, 23 Which I have reserved for the time of trouble, For the day of battle and war? 24 By what way is light diffused, Or the east wind scattered over the earth? 25"Who has divided a channel for the overflowing water, Or a path for the thunderbolt, 26 To cause it to rain on a land where there is no one, A wilderness in which there is no man; 27 To satisfy the desolate waste, And cause to spring forth the growth of tender grass? 28 Has the rain a father? Or who has begotten the drops of dew? 29 From whose womb comes the ice? And the frost of heaven, who gives it birth? 30 The waters harden like stone, And the surface of the deep is frozen. 31 "Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades, Or loose the belt of Orion? 32 Can you bring out Mazzaroth in its season? Or can you guide the Great Bear with its cubs? 33 Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you set their dominion over the earth? 34 "Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, That an abundance of water may cover you? 35 Can you send out lightnings, that they may go, And say to you, 'Here we are!'? 36 Who has put wisdom in the mind? Or who has given understanding to the heart? 37 Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can pour out the bottles of heaven, 38 When the dust hardens in clumps, And the clods cling together? 39 "Can you hunt the prey for the lion, Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions, 40When they crouch in their dens, Or lurk in their lairs to lie in wait? 41 Who provides food for the raven, When its young ones cry to God, And wander about for lack of food?"

This rebuke of God's almighty power and sovereignty continues for another chapter or so (you should get a Bible and read it or look it up online!)  Here's Job in the midst of tremendous suffering and although he refuses to "curse God and die" as his wife encourages, he is having a little pity party and demanding answers.


Too often in Christian circles we think of teddy bear Jesus who wants us to have our "best life now" and make "every day a Friday."  And yet, interestingly, God chooses to respond to Job not out of love and compassion, but out of rebuke.  He's reminding Job of His tremendous power and sovereignty.  Job's suffering brought about God's glory.  And when Job stood up under that suffering God restored him to prosperity and health far exceeding his previous years.  Every day wasn't a Friday for Job, but he sure ended well!  It's this fundamental truth that Paul wrote about in talking about finishing the race well.


And although I sometimes miss it in the storms of life, my little guy Jackson can sit in a hospital at midnight with a broken arm and remember that God knows all, is above all, can do all things and takes comfort in that.


Jesus does comfort the broken-hearted, but He's also the all-powerful Lion of Judah prepared to demonstrate His power to a hurting world.  Take comfort not in phony sentimentalism but in the absolute sovereignty and power of Jesus.  In this life we will have trouble, but even when we fall off the couch and break our arm, Jesus is still in control.  Just ask Jackson!

Kids At The Beach: Germpos & Jesus

Germpos.

They are apparently a small undetectable worm that climbs in you and makes you dirty.

So says 4 year old Jackson.  After leaving the beach the other day, he insisted on a shower the very moment that we got home to eradicate these nefarious "Germpos."

Some might say it was sand.

I tend to believe my little sir that there are indeed a villainous race of tiny worms called Germpos and that their sole purpose is to make us dirty.

Well, I guess you could call that humanity's self-chosen affliction...sinfulness.

Jackson informed us that only he could see the Germpos.  Upon further investigation it was revealed that adults couldn't see them.

Just like the dastardly Germpos, sin is often unseen by other people.  Proverbs 5:21:  "For the ways of a man are before the eyes of the Lord.  And He watches all his paths."

Just like only the eyes of Jackson can see the Germpos, only the eyes of the Lord can see all of our sins.  Thankfully, He is a forgiving God, who corrects us as a father would correct his child and who is not willing that one of us should perish.

Thankfully, He also washes us cleaner than the quick shower that Jackson got upon returning from the trip to the shore.

Got Germpos?  Maybe you need a little Jesus cleanser.

My kids just continually challenge my faith in big and, um, silly, ways.  It always astounds me that the silly things that they say and do that make me smile also challenge my heart to be a better Dad, husband and Christ-follower.

What kind of silly things have your kids said/done that have led to a spiritual lesson for you?  We want to hear from you!  Consider this an open thread and post a comment below!

Chicken Monster Theology

Imagine this face crashing into you and vomiting...

"Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden, the God who is our salvation."  Psalm 68:19

Our family has had issues with birds recently.  We have a random bird of prey that likes to circle our house in the afternoons.  The kids have named him Aerial Ace (or "cutie" if you ask Reagan as apparently birds who swoop down to kill unsuspecting cuddly animals are cutie-pies.)

Ace is kind of a mascot for our house.  However, about a week ago as I was driving to work, a ginormous hideous monster of a bird almost killed me.

Picture the scene:

An unsuspecting high school teacher is driving during the early morning hours when nobody in their right mind would be.  As I pass by an empty field, a bird the size of California comes flying out into the road and on a collision course with my truck.  In fact, if this beastly bird of terror collided with my truck, he was going to slam into the driver side window.  The window was up, but with his size and speed, methinks his nasty face would have burst through the glass and slammed right into me.

I have no idea what kind of bird this thing was.  I looked up in a fanciful birds of prey children's book that we have and to my best guess it was a vulture.  Have you seen these things? They are the ugliest things this side of Satan.  In fact, when I picture what the prince of darkness looks like without his temptation-laced stage make-up on, I picture vultures.

Apparently, had this nefarious bird hit my truck and thrust his homicidal beak in my face, I would have been in quite the predicament.  According to the kids' guide to predatory birds, vultures tend to throw up in your face when you "scare" them.  All manner of decomposing roadkill would have spilled out upon me as I sat in my workday finest and basked in the horror of a vulture attack.

It would have been the single worst bird terrorist attack since Fabio.

Thankfully, and inexplicably, the vulture somehow pulled up at the last minute and missed my truck.

That takes me to a family dinner from earlier in the week.

We had a rotisserie chicken dinner, as we were running late as usual.

We never serve chicken on bones.  It's nasty and caveman-like.

However, on this particular evening my wife decided to put the chicken legs on Reagan and Jackson's plates.  Reagan followed in her grandmother's footsteps and devoured hers within seconds.

Jackson, however, stared at the unsavory chicken leg and refused to consume it.  When prompted, the ever eloquent Jackson added to his famous lexicon by declaring that he wasn't going to eat that "chicken monster."

Chicken monster.  Yum.

Of course, as soon as "chicken monster" was given to his carnivorous sister, Jackson was sad that he couldn't eat it.  Re-christened as "mutton" by older brother Noah, the "chicken monster" leg suddenly became irresistible to Jackson.

Where's all this talk of scary predatory birds and chicken monsters going?

Well, the enemy flies around like a predatory chicken monster.  And he is hellbent on destroying you.  And one of the things he's most effective in using against you is fear.

Reading Psalm 68 earlier today, I was reminded that not only is the Lord our salvation, but He carries our burden daily.  Daily.

I was also struck by reading the account of the transfiguration.  Chilling atop the mountain with Jesus, Moses and Elijah must have been awesome.  When Peter, James and John heard the voice of God, they bowed their heads to the ground in fear.

And yet:

"And lifting up their eyes they saw no one except Jesus Himself alone."  Matthew 17:8

Jesus touched them.  Fear left them.  Their eyes beheld Him.  Only Him.

Additionally, 1 Chronicles 11:9 says of David that he "became greater and greater, for the Lord of hosts was with him."

His success and victory was not due to his own personal coolness, but rather that "the Lord of hosts was with him."

Life serves us chicken monsters and sends careening vultures toward our truck.  And our response to that is the gateway through which our faith bloodstream flows.  When we are afraid of chicken monsters, we can turn away choice blessings (and succulent meat?) when we should be chowing down.  When the crippling fear of a vulture smacking into your face and vomiting roadkill on you hits, you lose focus.  Fear minus focus equals failure.  It means a picking up of your daily burdens that are meant to be carried by your much stronger Savior.  And that weight holds you back from what God has for you.

And yet, just like Peter walking on the water, if we keep our eyes on Jesus, and push away the fear, God will daily lift our burdens.  Philippians 4:19 reminds us that "My God will meet all you needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus."  Those riches are where?  In Jesus.  Alone.

As I read to my kids today out of the Jesus Calling for Kids Devotional, God is telling us:

God wants to save you from careening birds of prey and open your eyes to choice meat, riches and blessing.  He wants to become greater and greater because He is with you.  In order to do that, you are going to have to lift up your head, block out the chicken monsters and predatory birds and see Christ alone.  And if you do, you'll see Psalm 68, 1 Chronicles 11 and Matthew 17 made manifest in your life!

Embrace chicken monster theology and grow your faith!

My Boy Jackson: "I not broke down. God Made Me."

Jackson's famous pout...

Mad props to the Orange folks who are working on the First Look Curriculum!  It's making a difference in the lives of little ones like my son Jackson!

The First Look curriculum seeks to impart 3 basic truths to the wee tots entrusted to us:

God Made Me

God Loves Me

Jesus Wants To Be My Friend Forever

And my 4 year old son just demonstrated that it's catching on!

Jackson's sayings are famous around my house.  He has enthusiastically declared after watching a vintage Veggie Tales DVD that "God is bigger than the foogie man."  Multiple attempts to correct him were met with adamant denials of the existence of any such "boogie man."  The "foogie" man is his real name and slime comes out of his ears.  He was wearing his "fweatshirt" at the time of these denials.

He's also been known to ask if we are going to take a "hair cut" to get home sooner (presumably "short cut") and asked the nice lady waitress at Friendly's to put "hot vudge" on his ice cream.

This past weekend, he was playing with key chains and declared an all-consuming love of "cheese canes" which admittedly don't sound like such a bad idea to me.

And my personal favorite is his perennial answer to the question "What do you think Jackson?" which is, of course, "Yes, I do think!"   Except on bad days, when it is a sullen "No, I don't think!"

His latest addition to the Jackson Lexicon was actually a God moment from the lips of a four year old poet.  This past week, I was being my usual silly self and mangling a show-stopping song from his older sister Reagan's kindergarten "train play" in which she plays a haughty purple tiger who rebuffed cries of "please stop and help us" with a curt, "help you, I should say not!"

The song I was mangling actually goes as follows:

Please stop and help us

Please stop and help us

Please stop and help us

Our engine's broken down

My version, of course, replaced "Our engine's broken down" with "Our Jackson's broken down."

Admittedly not the most ego-boosting statement to make to your son, but a fanciful line of whimsy nonetheless.  Jackson, however, was not amused.

His angry face and pouty lips took shape as he declared, "I not broke down!  God made me!"

Now grammatical errors aside, it was a statement that made me smile.

My 4 year old knows that God made him, and as a result, that he's not a mistake, broken down, or worthless.   At his incredibly young age, thanks to the Deuteronomy 6 partnership between his parents and his church leaders, young Jackson has embraced a teaching that is so absolutely life-altering that many folks wrestle all of their lives to fathom it, much less live it.  Jackson the theologian was applying the key biblical truth from Psalm 139 to himself and  declaring (in typical Jackson-ese):

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."   Psalm 139:13-14 

That is the kind of true life change that folks working with the Orange curriculum can expect.

Teaching with an end in mind works.  Working with parents to reach this next generation to plug them into the purposes of God is an amazing blessing and privilege.  When kids like Jackson can take hold of the big boulders of faith, it's much easier for him to build his household of faith on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ.

And it's certainly more than enough to fight off the evils of the foogie man!