One of the most beautiful things about kids is the questions they ask, unless you're the one that has to answer the question.
About a month ago or so, my daughter was petting our cat, who was enjoying a nice nap at the end of the bed and welcomed another reason to purr. But suddenly out of the blue, she blurted, "Do cats have armpits?"
My wife and I just looked at each other for a moment, then burst into laughter. Put that on the list of things to ask about in heaven.
A few weeks earlier, this same inquisitive little girl had a different question. She asked her mother first, then me. "When's God's birthday?" she inquired.
"Christmas," was my nearly automatic answer and no sooner than I spoke, I realized my error. So did the 6-year-old.
"No, that's Jesus' birthday," she corrected. "When is God's birthday?"
Oh, dear. There's no theology textbook for stuff like that.
I paused a moment, then plunged ahead with a response.
"God doesn't have a birthday," I said. "God has always been and always will be. He lives forever and never changes. That's why we know he's always with us."
Was this enough to satisfy a child's insatiable curiosity? As it turns out, yes.
With a simple, "Oh, okay," the conversation was over. She may or may not remember it, but I will. You never know when or where you'll learn about God, but whether you're 6 or 96, his mysteries never cease.
Now if I can just figure out whether the cat needs to wear deodorant!
Monday, April 25, 2011
The Killing
It's been a while but here I am again. And as has been customary on this blog, I begin with a reference to a TV show.
One of my recent favorites is AMC's new show -- The Killing.
And I warn you now, it's not for the faint of heart. The root of the show is the mysterious death of a teenage girl, but the title alone should tell you a bit of how the subject matter is treated. It's not just a homicide, crime scene investigation or whatever, it's a killing.
The girl's death is not simply a basis for building a whodunnit, but it's portrayed as a painful, haunting thing, particularly for her family.
That's what draws me, I suppose, the pain and grief is so real, you truly feel for the characters.
The same is true this Easter weekend of Jesus' death on the cross. Sometimes we make it so sterile, so tame, so laissez-faire. But it was real, it was painful and it was for you, it was for me.
One song that really captures this for me is a song that is 20 years old now from a group called The Violet Burning. Also called The Killing, this song really helps make Christ's crucifixion personal. And the video below uses clips from Mel Gibson's Passion to back up the lyrics.
One of my recent favorites is AMC's new show -- The Killing.
And I warn you now, it's not for the faint of heart. The root of the show is the mysterious death of a teenage girl, but the title alone should tell you a bit of how the subject matter is treated. It's not just a homicide, crime scene investigation or whatever, it's a killing.
The girl's death is not simply a basis for building a whodunnit, but it's portrayed as a painful, haunting thing, particularly for her family.
That's what draws me, I suppose, the pain and grief is so real, you truly feel for the characters.
The same is true this Easter weekend of Jesus' death on the cross. Sometimes we make it so sterile, so tame, so laissez-faire. But it was real, it was painful and it was for you, it was for me.
One song that really captures this for me is a song that is 20 years old now from a group called The Violet Burning. Also called The Killing, this song really helps make Christ's crucifixion personal. And the video below uses clips from Mel Gibson's Passion to back up the lyrics.
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