Last week, I decided to shave my goatee for the heck of it. Apparently, this added about ten pounds to the look of my face because I had several people at work ask me if I gained weight over the break. Last time they saw me, I had facial hair.

I know for a fact that I gained exactly one pound from the beginning of December to the first week of January. So, I’m growing it back.

We went to Granny and Papaw Burkman’s on the 28th for a 55th anniversary party. (Burkman’s are Jane’s parents) It was a good time, yet bittersweet for me. Emma Rose, Jane’s great-niece, was there. She is a cute, 9 month old, blonde. Elizabeth and I were sitting on the floor holding her and loving on her. A pain hit me that hasn’t in a while. I horribly missed my Emma. So did Elizabeth. As Elizabeth sat there playing and smiling with precious Emma Rose, I held back tears. It made me hurt for Elizabeth as she has verbalized over the years, she misses her sister….. the one she never met. The one she got to feel kick her in utero. The one she knew was a girl because God told her so.
I asked her tonight, “Did playing with Emma Rose make you miss Emma Mae?” Her response….. “Yes, why? Are you and Daddy going to adopt a girl?” I can only pray God will someday bless Elizabeth with a daughter of her own.

OK, one more from my favorite Christmas album…
A Baby Just Like You

Another one of my favorite Christmas songs sung by John Denver based on a poem by Robert Bridges.

Noel - Christmas Eve, 1913

A frosty Christmas Eve when the stars were shining
Fared I forth alone where westward falls the hill,
And from many a village in the water’d valley
Distant music reach’d me peals of bells aringing:
The constellated sounds ran sprinkling on earth’s floor
As the dark vault above with stars was spangled o’er.
Then sped my thoughts to keep that first Christmas of all
When the shepherds watching by their folds ere the dawn
Heard music in the fields and marvelling could not tell
Whether it were angels or the bright stars singing.
Now blessed be the towers that crown England so fair
That stand up strong in prayer unto God for our souls
Blessed be their founders (said I) an’ our country folk
Who are ringing for Christ in the belfries tonight
With arms lifted to clutch the rattling ropes that race
Into the dark above and the mad romping din.
But to me heard afar it was starry music
Angels’ song, comforting as the comfort of Christ
When he spake tenderley to his sorrowful flock:
The old words came to me by the riches of time
Mellow’d and transfigured as I stood on the hill
Heark’ning in the aspect of th’ eternal silence.

There is a large military training center near Columbus called Camp Atterbury. One of the chaplains on the base goes to our church and for the past 4 years he has organized a night of caroling on the base. This year, people in the church baked over 6000 cookies to hand out while caroling. (Karen baked several dozen.)

It was a moving experience. Most of the soldiers there are preparing to go to Iraq. In fact, some have shipped out since we were there on Wednesday night. I have never seen a more appreciative group than the 10 or so groups of soldiers we sang to. Many were crying and were sure to tell us thank you and that it meant a lot to them.

We carried several large boxes of cookies around to different barracks, the soldiers would come out, we would sing and the kids would hand out cookies to them. Elijah, our youngest (almost 3,) was a huge hit with the soldiers.

He would grab as many bags of cookies he could carry and go running up to the line of soldiers yelling, “here soldier!” They were eating it up. Several of them were sure to come find him to thank him after we were done singing. There was one place that had this small ditch with a little bit of ice an water. Elijah went up to it, stopped for a second like he was going to jump… then he did. Several of the soldiers, in unison, said, “Airborne!” “He’ll be in the 101st.”

It was a great experience, much more than I expected. And I was surprised at the sincere and heartfelt appreciation we got from the troops. Please pray for these soldiers as they make their way to Iraq.

From one of my all-time favorite Christmas Albums:

Christmas Is Coming

I discovered a new (to me) podcast a couple of weeks ago that I’ve found pretty interesting, called White Horse Inn. They are heavy on reformed theology so beware if you are allergic to such things.

The past two episodes have been excellent:
Called By God - I wish I could have heard this and, read Decision Making and the Will of God by Gary Friesen, 5 years ago. I don’t know if I would have or would not have still gone into ministry with Campus Crusade but I know I would have done it with a much different (and I think more correct) attitude and mindset.

What Is Worship - This one has me thinking about how worship is done in every church I’ve been in over the past 15 years. Its not “contemporary vs. traditional,” its that there is a piece missing much of the time. We are self-focused even when we think we are being God-focused. How many times do we sing about what we will do, “I will worship,” “I will praise you,” “you love me,” etc, without putting the focus back on God and what his attributes are and why we worship him. We take verses out of context, build songs around them without giving the full picture. They give some examples early in the podcast, give it a listen.

About White Horse Inn:

Launched in 1990, The White Horse Inn (named after the pub in Cambridge, England, where the Reformation came to the English-speaking world), is a nationally syndicated radio broadcast featuring regular round-table discussions on faith, culture and apologetics. Hosted by Michael Horton, Ken Jones, Kim Riddlebarger, and Rod Rosenbladt, the White Horse Inn aims each week to equip Christians to “know what they believe and why they believe it.”

Though the hosts have different denominational and ethnic backgrounds, the White Horse Inn unites itself on the principle slogans of the Protestant Reformation, such as the sufficiency of Scripture, salvation by grace alone through faith alone by Christ alone, and the importance of a God-centered, rather than human-centered outlook. By renewed attention to these classic and central themes on a weekly basis, it is the aim of the White Horse Inn to bring health and vigor to a church that appears to have in some ways lost its sense of missions.

I went back for a 6 month follow-up from the spring. There was no change in the mammogram, which is good. However, because they can’t be 100% sure, I am to go back (as long as they are unchanged each time) every 6 months for 2 years. Two friends have given me the name of a doctor in Greenwood, in case something did change. I think I will call to see if there is anything different they would do. The Dr. here doesn’t think it warrants a biopsy but want to follow it to be on the safe side. From a lot of women I have spoken to, it seems pretty common to do this. Part of it doesn’t make sense….. instead of removing it or doing a biopsy, let’s wait and see if it is cancer, later. On the flip side, I see that the characteristics of the lump are not cancererous. Ugh, get older stinks, sometimes!

Yesterday at church, Karen and I were helping in “kids church.” Towards the end, the kids were split up into small groups for discussion. After it was over, a little girl named Shelby from Karen’s group came over to me and asked, “Are you Mr. Riley?”
“Yeah,” I said. She just looked up at me and smiled with her big blue eyes and gave me a hug then went on her way.

Karen asked me if I met Shelby. I said I did and that she came up and gave me a hug. Karen said that Shelby was telling her that her parents have been (in a whisper) fighting and that they have to go to see a judge and might get divorced. Karen told her that my parents got divorced when I was little.

Shelby knows the pain that she is feeling and in the midst of it, felt compassion for someone else that had gone through the same thing. I don’t get very emotional about much but that simple act of love and compassion really touched me. I pray that Shelby’s mom and dad can work things out.

Here is the text of George Washington’s first Thanksgiving proclamation and Lincoln’s proclamation that came in the middle of the Civil War.

WHEREAS it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favour; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me “to recommend to the people of the United States a DAY OF PUBLICK THANSGIVING and PRAYER, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:”

NOW THEREFORE, I do recommend and assign THURSDAY, the TWENTY-SIXTH DAY of NOVEMBER next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed;– for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish Constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted;– for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge;– and, in general, for all the great and various favours which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also, that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions;– to enable us all, whether in publick or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us); and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

GIVEN under my hand, at the city of New-York, the third day of October, in the year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine.

(signed) G. Washington

The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added which are of so extraordinary a nature that they can not fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God.

In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign states to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere, except in the theater of military conflict, while that theater has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union.

Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defense have not arrested the plow, the shuttle, or the ship; the ax has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well as the iron and coal as of our precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege, and the battlefield, and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom.

No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.

It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners, or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the imposition of the Almighty hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it, as soon as may be consistent with the divine purpose, to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity, and union.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the city of Washington, this 3d day of October, A.D. 1863, and of the Independence of the United States the eighty-eighth.