Smiling
This is grandson Will at just 10 days old. He gave us these looks for several minutes. The overwhelming consensus in the room was "smiling." Other explanations are hereby ruled out of order.

Speaking of Babies...
This is a heads-up about one (of many, I'm sure) organization doing something truly unique and valuable for the kids of Africa, in the name of Christ, The Rafiki Foundation.

In their own words:

The Rafiki Foundation is a Christian organization whose goal is to help Africa’s orphaned and vulnerable children become godly contributors to their communities and the world. It was established in 1985 by Rosemary Jensen and others who desired to help the children of Africa. Rafiki’s plan for Africa has the potential of impacting thousands of children through the establishment of Rafiki Training Villages and Rafiki Satellite Villages.

A little research brought me in contact with very helpful, credible people there, and they come on excellent recommendation.

These Are The Days
My new favorite old song [listen] from my new favorite old artist, Van Morrison.

These are the days of the endless summer
These are the days, the time is now
There is no past, there’s only future
There’s only here, there’s only now

Oh your smiling face, your gracious presence
The fires of spring are kindling bright
Oh the radiant heart and the song of glory
Crying freedom in the night

These are the days by the sparkling river
His timely grace and our treasured find
This is the love of the one magician
Turned the water into wine

These are days of the endless dancing and the
Long walks on the summer night
These are the days of the true romancing
When I’m holding you oh, so tight

These are the days by the sparkling river
His timely grace and our treasured find
This is the love of the one great magician
Turned water into wine

These are the days now that we must savour
And we must enjoy as we can
These are the days that will last forever
You’ve got to hold them in your heart.

Nuff Said


















Grandson Will Benjamin

Welcome N0. 1 Grandson Will!

This is Baby Weekend in our world! At 1:57 p.m. Friday, September 14, Will Benjamin—6 lbs. 13 oz.—made his entrance. He's perfect, beautiful, an absolute joy. Thank you Nikki and Mark, thank you Lord Jesus for the gift of life! Now you have to look at some pictures...

The world's most beautiful baby, just a couple of hours old...

...with the world's most beautiful Grandmother...

...and the shamelessly proud, curmudgeonly Grandpa...

...the glorious new family...

...the thief of all our hearts, Will Benjamin Wallace.

Counter-Culturally Relevant

The C.S. Lewis Institute publishes a newsletter/magazine called Knowing and Doing...quarterly, perhaps? Not sure. The current issue features a short but excellent biography of William Wilberforce. You can download the pdf here.

Wilberforce seems to have been able to balance "knowing and doing," the subjective and objective, a substantial evangelical faith within himself and the application of deep convictions to issues in the public square. His witness was powerfully relevant to his culture but never lost it's footing. He suffered the scorn and contempt of popular culture, but doggedly continued his cause against the slave trade (and against the decline of public morals) all of his adult life. So much of what current evangelicalism tells us we need to do in order to be relevant seems to be little more than concession and accommodation to popular culture, not confrontation of it. We want to be liked, and when we're liked—we're relevant.