Here's the week's gleanings.
"90...Say What?!" by Chelsea Munneke and "Expect Ingratitude, Practice Gratitude" by Heather Koerner, both of Boundless, were just good. They were sweet and light, but both carried a message that I won't forget soon.
Donald Miller wrote a compelling three-part series entitlted "Toy Story 3: What We Can Learn From a Great Story." Here's the beginning.
In the archives of Worldmag.com, I discovered "The Right Time for Babies" by Tony Woodlief. Make time this weekend to read this one. He has some convicting and convincing points that are especially relevant to young Christians.
Yes, I know there's no Thursday post about Shakespeare. I confess, I'm a couple of scenes behind. But I'm still making my way towards the goal post....I hope to finish All's Well that Ends Well by next Thursday.
I'm also trying to come up with a way to effectively track the Shakespeare reading here without turning this blog simply into a repetitious series of posts about Shakespeare. I'll keep you posted (no pun intended).
Finally, see the cute little box on the right? Simply by typing your e-mail into that box, you'll receive Halfway Down the Stairs updates by e-mail! Isn't that convenient?
What are you doing this weekend?
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1 comment:
I've only read the parenting article so far, but I do have a few reservations on that article. I agree that if you over-think when to have kids, it's a lot like marriage -- it's a scary responsibility and you're never going to be able to plan everything out and be absolutely certain you're ready. You're never ready. You've just got to decide to DO it. However, if you take his article to the logical conclusion that a lot of people will pursue it to, I disagree that reason and funds have nothing to do with your decisions to have *multiple* children. For example, I know he didn't talk about this, but if you can't afford more than six children, maybe you shouldn't just strike out in faith and have another child. Sure, you CAN, but actually HAVING the kids is the easy part. Practically anyone can get pregnant and have a baby. However, might it not be possible to have so many children that you simply don't have the resources to emotionally, spiritually, and physically maintain them? The same people say that each child is a jump of faith, and God will provide--but the question is, sure, they'll survive, but is it really best for your family to have 12 + kids? Are you going to be able to know the heart and spend the time with each child? Coming from a family of eleven, I think I can see the benefits and the drawbacks of a truly huge family.. I loved it, don't mistake me. :-)
Really, I'm not sure what the actual *answer* to this question is.... and everybody is very convicted by their own version of events. But I do think it's a question to ask. If the father cannot provide for more children, I think they should think very hard about assuming God should take care of them as they step out of intelligent stewardship into the world of "faith" -- which can be simply tempting God and a total lack of good stewardship. Like stepping out in front of a bus and expecting God to make sure you don't die.
So, I suppose my real question is: is faith and reason truly exclusive? I know this is the popular idea, but it seems to me it's one of the reasons why Christians are mostly middle to lower class. And God is a God of reason, plans, and intricate logical possibility. Why would He tell us to abdicate common sense? It seems to me that common sense is harder to come by than a guess-and-hope.
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