The month of June has been busy, so I've been slacking big time on the ole' website. (It's gotten so bad that Tricia is talking smack about how much more often her blog is updated. This will not do.) So, here's a recap to get us up to speed:

01. Ethan He had his latest checkup last week (one day after his one-month birthday), and his new stats are: 9 lbs. 7 oz. and 21" long. The doctor said he is in great health, and Ethan continues to be a very alert, active baby. He also eats like a horse. Seriously, this kid is putting away the formula with ease. If this keeps up through his teenage years we're going to have to build an addition onto the kitchen. While I fret about the grocery bills of the future, enjoy some of his recent photos:

02. Vacation Bible School Earlier this month we held our VBS at church. It was a great week, and everything went very smoothly. Maybe I'm just getting older, but it seems like VBS wears me out a lot faster these days. (Although having a newborn at home doesn't help the sleep depravity either.) Here are some of the photos I took:

So, that's a big part of what's kept me busy in June. Now it's time to add another of my top 20 hymns to the list. Did you know that if you Google the phrase "20 favorite hymns" this very website is on the first page of results? True story. (Visit my complete countdown on this page.)

I don't have anything against praise choruses, but I am so very glad that there has been a resurgence of hymn writing in the last 10 years. It just seems that hymns are richer in lyric and are less prone to the repetition that so often bogs choruses down or wears out their welcome. They also tend to be less me-related and more Christ-related.

This song was written just five years ago by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend (whose work will grace this countdown again before we reach the top). It's full title is "See, What a Morning (Resurrection Hymn)" which should give you a fairly good idea what the song is about.

When Jesus died on the cross "there was darkness over the whole land" [Mark 15:33] and yet three days later, the morning is "gloriously bright." Why the contrast? Because Jesus is no longer dead, but has been brought back to life, victorious over death.

This was "God's salvation plan" which the Scripture tells us was put into place "before the foundation of the world" and "according to the purpose of His will." [Ephesians 1:4-5] In other words, the death of Jesus was not God's 'Plan B' or just a random event in history. No, it was the perfect act of our redemption, planned and provided by God himself.

God's salvation plan was fulfilled in "Christ, the Man" the only one who can stand between sinful humanity and sinless God. This is why the Bible says: "For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." [1 Timothy 2:5]

And what exactly did the sacrifice of Jesus accomplish? In short, "death is dead, love has won, Christ has conquered." The grave no longer has any power or victory over those who belong to Christ. God's steadfast love has made a way for us to be with Him forever. Now, "all authority has been given" [Matthew 28:18] that "at the name of Jesus every knee should bow...and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." [Philippians 2:10-11]

And, of course, the reason any of this matters is the theme of this song: "for He lives: Christ is risen from the dead!" As Paul wrote in his letter to the Corinthians, the resurrection is the key to our faith. Without it, we have no help and no hope. He says it this way:

"If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive...

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." [1 Corinthians 15:17-22, 56-57]

TOP 20 HYMNS

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I totally stole the idea for today's post from my wife's blog, so I want to be honest and upfront about that. She gets all the credit and subsequent Creativity Points^TM.

Anytime someone has a baby, the natural question is: "Who does he look like?" So let's take a look with the help of some side-by-side comparisons. First up is Ethan and Tricia:

Holy cow! Who knew my wife was a Chinese baby? Well, as you can tell from these pictures, there are some similarities. Personally, I think they look a lot alike, but some people say that Ethan looks more like his dad. Let's see how Ethan compares to my baby picture:

Don't I look so happy? Honestly, I can't tell which features of Ethan's came from which parent. After staring at these pictures (and the real thing) for a while, I think he's got a bit of both of us. His lips seem more like Tricia's and his nose looks more like mine.

Of course, these pictures are only part of him. He definitely got his daddy's head (sorry, son) but he clearly has his mother's bone structure: long, skinny fingers, arms, and legs. Both sides of the family can see traits in him that remind them of his aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc. Whatever combination he is, it works: he is one cute baby!

And then let's not forget what a friend of ours at church said last Wednesday night: "All babies look like Winston Churchill." Oh, really?

Hmmmm.....

P.S. Speaking of Churchill, on this date in 1944, Allied forces landed on the shores of Europe on what is now known as D-Day. It is one of the pivotal moments -- not just of World War II, but of history -- and must not be forgotten. If you don't know much about what happened on that day 64 years ago, click here to get up to speed.

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Not much to post today...just wanted to get the redesigned header up to make sure everything works properly. The "links" tab doesn't link to anything (ironic, isn't it?) as I'm still trying to get that page worked out conceptually, but everything else should move you around nicely.

You'll also notice that in the photos column I have added a few links to other websites that are run by family/friends. I'm not really happy with how it looks, so it will likely change in the next week or so. In the meantime, you can enjoy some more pictures of Ethan (and also a rabbit), also in the photos column.

Welcome to June!

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