January 2012
11 posts
Ultrasounds and Abortion
I didn’t get an ultrasound when I was pregnant. I had a few reasons. I don’t think it’s wrong to have ultrasounds, so read on if you’ve had one. This is not a condemning post.
I’m one to question. Especially if I’m in an unfamiliar place. Like pregnancy. A kind, gentle caution from a dear friend about ultrasounds prompted a lot more reading and research than...
“And if I want my baby, my baby is a person. And if I don’t want my baby, it is...”
– John Piper, They Poured Out Innocent Blood
The Apple Doesn't Fall Far From The Tree
Will and I are doing a Bible reading plan. We’re on schedule to read through the Bible twice in one year. Four chapters a day from four different books. Thus far, it has been really surprising.
I’m surprised by this:
routine is making room for spontaneity
How can God really speak through scripture to the day-to-day joys and struggles when I’m on a “plan”? The...
Half a Year!
Our girl is 6 months old!
And as such, she’s…
huge. 18lbs 13oz, 26 inches long.
ready to get her hands on some solid food. We’re starting this weekend!
making at least 5 new sounds (this may not seem like a big deal to the non-parent, but for months all you hear is a few different versions of “cry.”)
transferring things from one hand to the other.
dropping...
Our Potty Animal
Disclaimer: This post is about infant potty training. As such, “pee” and “poop” will be used in abundance. This may not be suitable for all audiences.
It’s time for the world to know: Mercedes goes pee and poop in her little red Baby Bjorn potty. She’s almost 6 months old; she’s been at it since 6 weeks.
Encouragement: Read the entire post, then...
“Private, personal prayer is one of the last great bastions of legalism. In order...”
– Paul Miller, A Praying Life
“Jesus does not say, “Come to me, all you who have learned how to...”
– Paul Miller, A Praying Life
A Book and A Poem
I’m in a book club. First time ever. So far it’s been wonderful. I’ve read books that I wouldn’t have picked up otherwise, and have been extremely blessed by these books, and by discussion with about 6 other women.
The most recent book we read was One Thousand Gifts. It’s a bestseller, has a website and quite the following…I would have never read it. I always...
December 2011
6 posts
Happy 5 Months Chades*!
Someday we won’t celebrate the 13th day of every month, but for now, recounting the goodness of God in our lives through Mercedes Ari is very necessary.
She changes so rapidly. Just a week ago she was barely sitting up; now I even brave stepping away from her for a second to grab my phone or wrestle with Cedar. My favorite part about this development? My daughter sitting contentedly in my...
“In the confession of the Trinity throbs the heart of the Christian religion:...”
– Herman Bavinck, The Doctrine of God
5
Mercedes wakes around 7am every morning. I can’t do much until she eats…nursing moms understand this.
But this morning she didn’t stir until 7:15.
15 minutes.
Precious. So precious. Any mom will understand this.
So what did I do with my quarter-hour gift? I took out the trash.
And never, never has there been a more glorious 30 paces to a refuse receptacle. Bundled in my new...
“The bride eyes not her garment,
But her dear bridegroom’s face.
I will...”
– “The Sands of Time are Sinking” hymn by Anne R. Cousin
November 2011
19 posts
A Door On Its Hinges
Nobody spoke like him, like Jesus. His words were clear and confusing. His words were kind and gentle and harsh. He was the most dynamic human that ever lived.
He was God.
And God is smart. Really, really smart. Infinitely smart. Eternally wise.
And he spoke in parables. Stories. Simple stories. Stories that everyone could understand and remember, about common things like seeds and soil and...
WatchM fends off a bear.
The Mother of All Parables
I’m more and more grateful to feel stuck in Matthew 13.
For many reasons, but a really surprising one today:
Jesus says understanding the Parable of the Sower is the key to understanding all the parables.
Proof: (Jesus) said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?” Mark 4:13
So, there is something big here. The...
Why Four Soils?
I’m stuck in the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13.
Ever happened to you? You’re just reading along in the Bible and suddenly feel like you can’t move. God wants you to stay there, no, THERE, for a really long time. Like reading the same parable every day, multiple times a day, for days and days. And days.
The fancy name might be “meditation,” but it feels more...
I'm 4 Months Old Today!
Hi, it’s me, Mercedes. I asked mom to ghostwrite this post; I’m taking a nap right now. And I just can’t seem to get the hang of the keyboard. But soon.
I like being 4 months old. I like being older. I’m learning more and more how to live life with my dad and mom. Someday I’ll understand more of what life is like for them. But right now, I just feel cherished. And...
Nowhere to Go
I’m reading Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology in the pockets of quiet I have during the day. Surprisingly, it’s a great book to just pick up and put down, over and over again. It’s rich. So small bites are ideal.
I’m currently in chapter 11: The Incommunicable Attributes of God. Those are big words. Basically, 30 pages define and describe attributes of God that he...
“We can’t perfectly protect Mercedes. That’s not love. Love is...”
– Mercedes’s daddy
WatchMom and Dad decide to take star child for a walk.
1 tag
Lyla Noelle Bolyard
Welcome, little lady. You are beautiful. You are a Bolyard. You are a beloved daughter. You are a sister. You are a granddaughter. And you are so much more.
You are an image bearer of God.
That’s a big deal. God has been planning you all along, even before he made the world. He knew you before the seas and the sand and the stars. He did his knitting work on you in your mom’s womb....
WatchBaby and the bath water.
“The Son of God became a man to enable men to become sons of God.”
– C.S. Lewis
I.O.U.S.
Every morning Will and I engage in battle.
A battle for our affections and energy and time.
Our “flesh” (the part of us that wants ease and instant gratification and coffee) wars against our Spirit (the part that wants God).
Our main way of fighting looks like reading the Bible and praying, and sometimes talking about what we are reading together.
We come every morning weak and...
WatchMercedes, like her father, requires constant washings in order to smell nice for mommy.
October 2011
16 posts
Jackhammers
I’m sitting here having my faith rocked by noise.
Both kiddos are sleeping (I’m a mother and nanny), and the outside steps of the house we’re living in are being torn up. It’s incredibly loud. I’m sure they are going to accidently pound through our wall. Good thing we have plenty of coffee and some scones. I’m ready to be hospitable to our unexpected guests. I...
WatchMercedes waking up from her sleep. She usually wakes up pretty happy. Its no wonder. She is used to piggin’ out on mom’s milk right after she wakes up.
Happy 백일 Mercedes!
백일 is “100 days” in Korean.
Today, October 20, 2011, is Mercedes’s 100 day birthday.
If we had time and Korean friends and family near, this is what today might have looked like:
In Korean culture 100 days after a baby’s birth is marked as a major milestone. It is considered a big turn around for baby and mother. Will’s mom wrote: “The mother would finally...
Reasons To Be A Laborer
The harvest is plentiful (Matthew 9:37)
The fields are white for harvest (John 4:35)
More laborers are needed (Matthew 9:37)
Laborers are God’s way of harvesting (Romans 10:14-17)
Jesus commanded us to be laborers (Matthew 28:18-20)
Jesus is the ultimate and decisive gatherer of the wheat (Matthew 3:12)
If you don’t gather, you scatter (Matthew 12:30)
To love and to be loved...
WatchMercedes laughing.
Pushing Me (to the) Well
She thought rightly; I didn’t.
And I didn’t think she needed another friend.
She did.
I didn’t think I needed another friend.
I did. But of a different sort.
And so began a relationship unlike any other I’ve known.
Two things about her changed my life:
I would talk to her and share something, and her response would almost always begin with, “Well, Jesus...
Worthless and Worth It
Why we must seek to turn worshippers of carved images into worshippers of the living God:
For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Psalm 96:5
All worshipers of images are put to shame, who make their boast in worthless idols; worship him, all you gods! Psalm 97:7
They are turned back and utterly put to shame, who trust in carved idols, who say to metal...
Making Mom & Dad Proud
This afternoon I took Mercedes to her 3 month appointment with a new pediatrician.
Here are her stats:
Weight: 14lbs 5oz (91%)
Height: 24.5 inches (89%)
And because tomorrow is her 3 month, a few updates on what life with the lady looks like are in order:
she’s talking and making WONDERFUL sounds. Such a delight to mom and dad.
she’s sleeping through the night most nights. If...
WatchCareful, her smile is addicting.