Responsible

Well I'm back from my vacation just in time to catch opening day for The Dark Knight...It's good to be back with th incredible servants of CCC...one of the great things about vacation was all the unhurried time that I was able to spend with my children...for example...

Barbara and I have been working with one of our sons on responsibility for a while now.  I sat down next to him and said, "I have something to tell you that is going to change your life."  

"What's that?"  He said.

I replied, "You can't be responsible."  He looked puzzled.  After all we have been taking every chance to teach him how to do this.  "No, you can't be responsible. It's not possible."  

"But you've been telling me..."

"I know," I said, "but you can never do it..."  I then let him in on the secret, "...only God can do it through you."

He thought about that statement a little while and then I saw a sense of relief come over him.  I knew he had fully comprehended the conversation when he asked, "Does mom know about this!"

Comments

[Ted M. Gossard]

Good teaching to your son, Robert. Good for us all to remember, as well!

[Tyler Johnson]

just started a devotional on psalm 51. the second reflection is on this exactly. the intro to the book has a jazz flare as well.

"Permit me to introduce the tool you have in your hands... Let me use a musical illustration. I have approached psalm 51 like a piece of sheet music. The key signature, the time signature, the notes, and the dynamic markings that are on the page are there because that is precisely what the Great Composer designed to be there. This devotional book is not my attempt to help you to understand each note on the page. No, this book is more like jazz. While endeavoring to stay inside God's key signature and time signature, I have attempted to introduce to you creative, practical, everyday-life riffs on the themes that make up the music of grace of this wonderful psalm. Think about it. This is exactly how you live your life as a Christian. God hasn't given you in the Bible the exact notes to play in every situation in your life. No, in the Bible, He gives you a divinely inspired musical structure (the history, command, principles, and perspectives that flow out of the narrative of Scripture) and invites you to improvise harmoniously with Him. In this way, the life of a believer is more like jazz than it is playing off sheet music. So, what you have in your hands is devotional jazz, designed to help you improvise more harmoniously with the Great Composer."

the book is called "whiter than snow_ meditations on sin and mercy." by paul david tripp.