It's a boy, Mrs. Walker, it's a boy! A son, a son!

Quoting a song from the Tommy rock opera by The Who. We had an appointment for an ultrasound earlier today and we are happy to announce that we are having a healthy son! As I pondered this new information, my wife reminded me that when we were expecting our first we lost a female in our family - her mom, God graciously gave us a daughter; now we are expecting our second and have experienced a similar loss in my family, we are being blessed with a son. This is not to say that God is replacing our losses, but, he has provided us with new lives to love and care for. So, I am at a crossroads again with emotions - sorrow, happiness, excitement, fear, etc. But, I would say that I am looking forward to being a dad to the son growing in my wife's womb, all the while, attempting to console my daughter and insure that she knows she will always be "daddy's little girl!" Yet, Even though I will love them both equally and she will always be our first born. I will do my best not to show favoritism to either and love them both like Jesus would! Peace.

Multiculturalism in the Northwestern suburbs...

My family went to the Mount Prospect Parade and Fireworks display yesterday. We ran into some dear friends whom we haven't seen since we don't attend the same church with them any longer. They joined us later to watch the parade. It was interesting to see how much gasoline is wasted on this event, in addition to that, we were amazed at how many different cultures were represented by those in attendance. Even more noticible was how the local politicians interacted with these people. It seems that most of the Latinos were passed up in order for the potential government servants to greet other members of that multicultural grouping. But, it wasn't just the politicos who did this, the various churches and organizations throwing candy and passing other promotional items followed suit. Not all of us look like we just crossed the border and many of us are registered voters, but that didn't seem to make a difference. Besides that, those of us who are believers, may decide not to assimilate to the dominant culture or perhaps take on a bicultural identity, affirming the best of both. All that said, we enjoyed ourselves just the same and were more interested in recognizing the cultures represented: Asian and Southeast Asian, Eastern European, Latinos and African Americans, etc. How cool is that? Being together in this setting reminds one of many different passages in scripture speaking about that and greatly contrasting the image of the Tower of Babel. What I dread more than anything else is the fact that as we celebrate Independance Day and the founding of this nation by immigrants who crossed a larger body of water than the river partially used as a southern border. How long does one need to reside in a country before they are recognized as a valuable and contributing member of society? As a Christian, how can we effectively remove our faith from a cultural or patriotic pride that we are not all allowed to share? When will dignity be provided to everyone and anyone, especially by followers of Jesus?

Some thoughts on Multiculturalism...

I have been pondering the push for multiculturalism in the church and came to a realization, if it really happened, then there would be no majority culture...no expectation of assimilation, but an environment of accomodation and celebration...we could focus on the important things, like bringing people to a saving knowledge of Christ! Forgetting about the outward things and focusing on the inward things. What if you couldn't verbally proclaim the Gospel, could your life bear testimony of your Savior and His work in your life by the way you lived daily? Things that make you go hmmmm...