A number of people have made comments today that make me feel like I might be a complete freak of nature. I have seen some looks of mild-to-moderate horror and have noticed the slight wagging of more than a few heads indicating an unusual level of disgust with me. Even my wife has given me her rare but potent “I can’t believe I married you” look. All of this is because I was genuinely looking forward to today’s big event: Harrison’s circumcision.
[Crowd gasps in horrific disbelief]
I’m not a sadist. I do have a heart. No, its not made of stone — its made of flesh and blood just like yours.
I have always had a deep fascination with medical procedures, and I had never in my life seen a circumcision — until today. I wasn’t even sure how it was accomplished and I was totally curious to see it. Now, before you call Child Protective Services, please know that I take no pleasure in seeing or hearing my son in pain. The circumcision was going to happen no matter what, so why shouldn’t be there to see it?
While Heidi sat in the waiting room a safe distance from where the procedure was done, I got to be there to next to Harrison, comforting him with my voice and a binky dipped over and over again in sugar water. The circumcision was fascinating like I hoped it would be (I’ll spare you the graphic details), but I really loved that I could be there with my boy, whispering his name and telling him that I was there and that I love him. That was cool.
I went in today looking forward to the experience of seeing my first circumcision and left the hospital with a sense of gratitude that the medical procedure wasn’t the most poignant memory I’d walk away with.
I may be a sick man, but I sure love being a dad.
I have finally found the time to post a few of my favorite Harrison photos to date. To be honest, my wife’s blog is much better equipped for posting multiple images, so please visit her site for the full gallery.
Harrison and Mom in the hospital nursery
Who doesn’t like photos of a baby bum?
We both got to give him his first bath
Not crying, just yawning
Grayma and Grandaddy (my parents)
I love his face in this one
After many sleepless nights and thousands of prayers, Heidi and I are happy to announce that Harrison Michael Gray is officially ours as of Friday, June 6 at 11:30 am.
Born Sunday, June 1, 2008
St. Mark’s Hospital – Salt Lake City, UT
12:32 pm
8 lbs, 3 oz
20.5 inches
Heidi and I would like to thank each of you who took part in praying this baby into our arms. We are blessed at the opportunity to raise this precious child and blessed that we have friends and family who have helped to pray this boy home.
If you know the doxology, please sing it with me now:
Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
Praise Him all creatures here below,
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts,
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
Oh, praise Him! Oh, Praise Him!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Hallelujah!
I was sure by now, that You would have reached down
and wiped our tears away, stepped in and saved the day.
But once again, I say amen and it’s still raining
and as the thunder rolls I barely hear You whisper through the rain,
“I’m with you”
and as Your mercy falls I raise my hands
and praise the God who gives and takes away.
And I’ll praise you in this storm and I will lift my hands
for You are who You are no matter where I am
and every tear I’ve cried You hold in your hand
You never left my side and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm.
Praise You in This Storm
by Casting Crowns
Lord, we give all glory to you, no matter the outcome.
Well, we’re still up here in Salt Lake City awaiting the birth of our adopted son. We definitely expected that he would have been born by now (his due date was last Saturday, May 24). For more on the adoption, check out our new family blog written, produced, directed, and edited by soon-to-be hot mom, Heidi.
Even though the waiting is killing me, I’m really enjoying the time with my family and absolutely loving the scenery. Utah is amazing this time of year. I love the weather, I love the green trees, and I love the mountains most of all. Living in Phoenix has caused me forget the enormity and the beauty of the Wasatch Mountains.
This Memorial Day, I want to honor my grandad: Army Air Corps Major Isaac Terrell Spivey of Farmington, NM.
Grandad joined the Army Air Corps (Air Force) in his early 20s and was a B24 Liberator pilot in the South Pacific during World War II. He flew 50 missions, most of them in the pilot seat of a bomber nicknamed Red Headed Woman. Two of these 50 missions earned him the Distinguished Flying Cross, one of the highest decorations that can be given to pilots who serve in the military.
The first mission, in July 1945, had his crew flying over Saigon to take aerial photos of Japanese-controlled oil refineries. The intelligence captured on that mission was a key part in America’s strategy to destroy the Japanese war machine. The mission caught Japan completely off-guard and the crew returned safely (after a 2,500 mile round trip – one of the longest flight missions of the war) only to have the gunner accidentally drop the film, exposing the entire roll.
The next day his crew was asked to do it all again, only this time the Japanese were ready. The Red Headed Woman and its crew flew a second consecutive 2,500-mile recognizance mission, but had to fight off about 45 Japanese fighter planes this time around. In the midst of intense combat, Grandad’s crew was able to recapture the footage and return to base — despite having a large chunk of the plane shot away.
This is only one of dozens of fascinating stories that my grandad could tell you about his time serving in WWII. Some stories are fascinating and some are sobering; He can tell you stories of funny things he experienced and then stories of friends he lost in combat. I love to hear his stories and he loves to tell them.
My grandad is one of thousands of military men and women to whom we owe thanks for the freedoms we enjoy today. To anyone who has served, thank you for your service to our country.
To Grandad, thank you for being my personal war hero.
This video comes from Granger Community Church in Granger, Indiana. This was how they opened up the weekend service during a series titled “Get in the Game”:
I grew up playing the old-school Nintendo and especially loved playing Mario Bros. (who didn’t?). I also dream of being a rockin’ drummer (who doesn’t?). Naturally, I thought this video was awesome.
Even though I love this sort of thing, I must admit that I usually have a twinge of uneasiness when I see popular culture featured so prominently in church. This uneasiness lies in the fact that I feel like pop culture tends to blur the line between the sacred and the unsacred, between what is holy and what is commonplace.
Please understand that I am part of a church that deliberately appeals to the culture, and I love it. I do not sit in service sneering because I am offended at “that song” or “that video”. I honestly enjoy most of what churches do to incorporate “cultural relevance” into their services. I also understand that churches like Granger do this primarily as an “in” to reach people for Jesus — I do not doubt their intentions for a moment.
Still, I cannot seem to shake that nagging feeling that pairing the message of Jesus with pop culture only tends to cheapen Jesus. Do we honestly think that He needs our technology and music and graphic design in order to change lives? If the answer is “no”, then we need to look really hard at whether or not our persistence toward cultural appeal is worthy of so much energy.
What do you think about this issue? Tell me why you feel the way you do about the church and pop culture.
Sidenote: The title of this post is taken from the title of a book written by Tim Stevens , the Executive Pastor at Granger. I have not read it yet, but I know from reading reviews that his book is really making people think about this issue.
I just read today that Christian music artist Steven Curtis Chapman and his family lost their youngest child, adopted daughter Maria, due to injuries sustained in an accident at their family home in Tennessee. The accident looks to have been caused when an older sibling unknowingly ran the child over in their driveway with the family SUV. Read the full article here.
My heart and prayers go up for this family as they are in the midst of this inconceivably horrible tragedy.
Modern television news media has become useless on so many levels. Sometimes I wonder how hard assignment editors have to work just to find stories to fill up their air time. The following video is a prime example of why I don’t spend much of my time watching the local news.
Click on the picture below to view the news story; this is reporting at its crappiest:
Aside from the fact that this completely inane story made it to a live broadcast, I find it particularly bothersome that it aired within the first ten minutes of their 8:00 news (see the timestamp above). Where exactly is the newsworthiness of this story?
To make things worse, the City of Gilbert had to add their personal touch of absurdity by having Greg Svelund, the official city spokesperson, comment on the issue by saying, “I think this is something that can be solved with education.” What?!
Here, allow me:
Dog Park Etiquette 101:
Lesson 1: Dog poop is stinky
Lesson 2: A lot of dog poop fermenting in one area is even stinkier
Lesson 3: To minimize the stink, pick up Precious’ poop
Lesson 4: Should have told you before Lesson 3 to use the plastic bags and not your bare hand, you flippin’ idiot
Lesson 5: Don’t ever leave the house if you are dumber than your dog
I’m pretty sure that I just saved the taxpayers of Gilbert a lot of wasted education dollars.
