The Anti-Family Church, pt. 1- Introduction

I've been contemplating this blog series for months now, and have been putting it on the back burner until I could find some time to actually think it through a little more. I figured when I started dreaming about writing the posts it was time to get to it. I'll give you a disclaimer: this may rile quite a few people, which is ok. Before flying off the handle about it, think about whether you're upset because you think I'm dead wrong, or because you're being convicted. Then, if you decide I'm wrong, please give me biblical proof for your side, since I am doing so for mine. It's only fair. :)

The Evangelical world as a majority has been moving away from family church for a long time now, and moving toward seeker-friendly/seeker-sensitive church. Along with that has come the shift towards catering toward man-centered theology, and the idea that "what feels good must be right". In today's society that tends to be the idea that freedom is key, and avoiding family (or family responsibilities) is a perfectly acceptable alternative to raising children and instructing them in the Lord's ways. I have pretty strong feelings against seeker-sensitivity, as I see it as completely against biblical directive.

What as Christians are we to do? Let's take a look at what Jesus says:

"And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.' " -- Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV)

How do we make disciples? Is it accomplished through a catchy worship service, a neat video, and funny jokes? Is it by giving "life principles" without cracking open a Bible? Do we help disciple people by feeding, clothing, and assisting them without once mentioning Jesus? Do we help our families and children by pushing them into segregated classes once a week to learn about Jesus (maybe) from teachers who themselves may or may not share the same biblical standards as we hold to?

It seems the only effective way to disciple a person is by using the Bible, God's inspired Word, which is the only place we can find the directions for a life dedicated to Him. When we get away from the Truth revealed through the Bible, we move away from God and toward man. Man-centered theology says, "it's all about me, me, me" when really we should only be focused on God, and not what makes us "feel good". Let me tell you, this is an incredibly flawed standard, especially in regards to family, which often does not make us "feel good". Family life is difficult, and as fellow believers we are to uplift and encourage each other. We should be focused on teaching men to be bold men of God, husbands, fathers, and women to be bold women of God, wives, mothers. We should encourage parents to teach their children and raise them in the way they should go.

It would appear that the direction of our society, of which the majority still claim Christian beliefs, is enough to point to the failure of the Church to disciple properly. Where is the accountability, the fellowship, the bold teaching of Truth that angers sinners and uplifts the saints? Have the days of proclaiming Truth and a Gospel so powerful it saves even the most wretched of men passed along with the reformers? May it not be so!

This series will address the areas that I see as needing the most attention in the church in regards to family: men, women, children, and family.

The Stepping Stone Cafe

Weslee checking out the menu

Digging into his first "mancake"

Back in May we made a trip to The Stepping Stone Cafe in Portland. If you watch the show "Man vs. Food" you may recognize the name, and the giant 16" stack of "mancakes" in front of Weslee. We ordered one and split the delicious blueberry pancakes, and still took home half of them! We'd definitely recommend a trip to the Cafe, though be prepared to wait in line for a table (our wait on a Saturday morning was 45 minutes). The food is worth it, and the servers treat you like a regular.

My Mornings

I don't know if I'd say that I'm a morning person, but I have certainly been forced to become one if I wasn't already. Weslee is a great sleeper; he sleeps right around 12 hours a night. The funny thing is that he usually goes to sleep around 5pm... which means he's awake before 6am. That means mom is up before 6am each morning, even if she was able to sleep in.
I have to say the mornings redeem themselves when I get to hang out with my little guy. Today Weslee and I got up at 6am and let Ken sleep in. We played a little, then Weslee played while I cleaned the kitchen and made muffins, we snuggled and Weslee fell asleep, and now we are sitting together on the couch. He is carrying on some sort of enlightening conversation with me, which is very cute.
Just us, the Pandora Christmas playlist, and some gusty arctic wind. Have I mentioned lately how much I love this little bundle of joy he Lord has blessed us with?

Weslee walking across the living room

O Christmas Tree!

Weslee's first look at a Christmas tree

Ah, a tall tree! After 4 1/2 years of marriage, we finally have a tree taller than 3'! I hit the sales after Christmas last year and scored a 6 1/2' tree for only $10 at Wal-Mart. Go me!
Life at our house is never boring, and putting the tree up was no exception. I had put all the bottom branches on and fanned them out nicely, when I realized the top section just wasn't going on right. Ken, in all his brute strength, tried to force it on a little harder. Instead, the base of the tree that holds the legs snapped, and the tree fell over. I (along with a little help from Ken) spent the next hour super gluing and holding the cracked pieces together in hopes that the tree could be salvaged. That super glue was worthless- it didn't hold anything together except my fingers (I'm lucky I'm not typing with fingers permanently adhered to each other). We tried a little duct tape over the broken pieces, and that held for a couple minutes, but the base still gave way under the weight of the tree.
Finally, in a last-ditch effort to salvage the tree I'd spent so much time putting together, I grabbed the roll of duct tape and started wrapping it around the base. It worked. Half a roll later the tree stood up as straight as it originally had. Afterward, Ken found the tree's warranty (who knew fake trees came with warranties?) and discovered we still have a year left on it, so hopefully they'll send us another base to the tree so I don't have to buy another one this year.
Weslee was in awe at the tree when I showed it to him in the morning. We put it all together while he was asleep- one so he would be surprised, two so he wouldn't get in the way. Hooks and glass ornaments do not mix with the fast little hands of a baby. He just stood and stared at the tree for a few minutes before trying to figure out how to get to it. I'm glad we have a gate to put around it.
I think we'll go shopping this year for a "baby's first Christmas" ornament. Right now we have Ken's first ornament (from 1985) on the tree, since it's for a boy. I'm so looking forward to getting to show Weslee what Christmas time is about. I know he won't understand about Christ's birth this year, but he will get the joy of all the new things happening around him, and that's still pretty cool.
Next on our list is decorating the rest of the house and putting lights up outside (that's Ken's area). This will be the first Christmas we've really had the whole house decked out. I feel like a "real" family now, starting our own traditions that we can follow through the years.

Thanksgiving 2009

Family pic, from left to right:
Ken, Me, Weslee, Meredith, Quinn, Sela, Ryan, Mom (Nancy), Dad (Wes)

Our updated picture (the last was in May, I believe)
We kind of have this pose down, now, and it seems to work for us

Ken hanging out with Weslee

This year we spent Thanksgiving day with my family in Dundee (which is only 10 minutes from where we live in Newberg). I have to say, Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays since it's always spent with family. We had our traditional meal, and spent the afternoon in fellowship, just having fun.
We did go to Ken's parents' house on Friday for their Thanksgiving meal. It's always nice to be able to see family that we don't get to see on a regular basis. The Lucas family brought some smoked turkey that was amazing! I had never had it before, and I'm sold on it.

Weslee Walking

Weslee is now walking a little bit, though he's still got some balance issues to perfect. I know that I also walked at 10 months, and we're not sure when Ken started walking. We've noticed Weslee has a tendency to do the least amount of work possible, and you can clearly see he's not eager to take more steps than absolutely necessary to get to Mom as evidenced by his lunging forward, arms out.

Date Night: Tyrone Wells in Concert

Tyrone Wells and Mark Chippelo

Ken and I after the concert... it was about midnight, and it shows on our faces

Ken and I went to my cousin Tyrone's concert at the Aladdin Theater November 11. We don't get out very often for date nights, but this one was totally worth it. My sister and one of her friends and our Aunt, Uncle, and a cousin were at the concert, too. It was fun to get to see some family we don't see too often. If you haven't heard of Tyrone Wells or listened to his music, check out: http://www.tyronewells.com

November Pictures

Weslee standing on his own for the first time

I came home and found the boys sacked out together on the couch

Pumpkin Pictures

We carved out Weslee's 30lb pumpkin and he had some fun sitting inside it, and Mom and Dad had fun taking some pictures- fun for the whole family! He's 9 months in these pictures.

Weslee and the Tractor

Pumpkin Patch

We had a lot of fun going pumpkin shopping for Weslee's first fall. His pumpkin was the 30lb whopper in the pictures, and he was fascinated with it. This place is "Grandma's" for those who are from the area... there were so many pumpkins there! Ken and I went to a pumpkin patch the first year we were married, but it didn't hold a candle to the size of this one. We liked that it was pretty family friendly, and the prices weren't too bad, either.

Button, Button, Who's Got the Button

Weslee had a fascination with the shiny, flower-shaped buttons on my nightgowns, so every time he would touch one I'd say, "button, you're touching the button!" Eventually he caught on and was able to point out buttons on different kinds of clothing. It was the first sign that he was actually understanding some of the things we were saying to him, which was pretty cool.

First Trip to an Ice Cream Parlor

We took a little family outing one evening to Jem 100, a local ice cream parlor. Weslee was a little young yet for ice cream, but he had some milk while Ken and I ate the good stuff. He seemed to really enjoy all the colors of the ice cream in the display and watching the different people around the place. Hopefully we'll get to go back when Weslee can have ice cream and get some more fun pictures.

Greek Festival (October)

I went with Ken and Weslee to the Greek Festival in Portland for the very first time this year. Talk about an experience! The food, the atmosphere, the Greeks- amazing! We had so much fun hanging out with family and friends, and brought home some pretty tasty treats which were quickly gone. This was the first time we'd really taken Weslee out into a big public place, outdoors, and all bundled up for the cooler fall weather. I think we'll be going back next year, too.

Weslee getting excited about standing

When Weslee learned to stand, he was all about pulling himself up on anybody and anything he could to show off his new talent. He was pretty cute as he snorted/panted with excitement, eventually getting so excited he'd fall down. :)

Weslee Standing Up

September pictures

Weslee learns to crawl

Weslee learned to crawl in his 6th month, and we're pretty sure he knew how to do it before we saw it. The first time we noticed it, he booked across the whole living room to get a plate. No tentative first movements, just a mini-marathon!

Weslee learns to sit himself up