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Thursday, July 06, 2006

Blog Moving Notice

In the interest of doing some more fancy stuff with our blog (like categories and other fun stuff), we're moving this blog over to our own host. Future posts will be posted at DingHome.net. All of our old posts and this blogspot site will remain (though we won't be adding new posts here).

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Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Kids can understand a LOT!

It's often been said that one should never underestimate what children understand and learn.

My four-year-old boy Matthew is great at proving that axiom. Here's a couple of examples from the past two days:
  • Yesterday the family came to the office to attend a baby shower thoughtfully put together by my co-workers to celebrate our new baby girl (and my return to the office). As we were preparing to board the elevator, Matthew ran over to the opening door. Inside there were already people going down. Instead of simply waiting outside or running inside, he instead stood right by the opening and extended just his arm to block the door. He knew that doing so would hold the door open by by triggering safety sensors. He then hollered, "Hurry up, Dad!" As I got in, one of the people in the elevator marveled that so small a child would understand how to do that! She said, "When he first put his arm, I thought he was playing! But he actually knew to keep the door open that way. I don't think I'd ever have known how to do that at his age!"

  • This afternoon, when Lois was cutting up a pastry for him to eat, she reports that he told her, "Mommy, don't cut yourself. The knife is sharp and you need to be careful." As she put it later, he talks just like us!
All the more reason to be extra watchful about the behavior that we exemplify for our children. That he is so quick a study also reminds me of how easily he can also learn ugly habits like anger, envy and discontent. May they instead learn not only "clever tricks" and smart safety tips, but also a love for the gospel every single day!

Monday, June 19, 2006

Happy (One Month) Birthday Calissa!

Our youngest little child, Calissa, turned one month old today! To be honest, I've been so focused on caring for the three older kids that I've barely spent much time cuddling up with her. So ironically, when Lois had an appointment this morning that left me with all four, I finally made some time to focus on Calissa. First giving her a bath, then dressing her up in a cute little outfit. She really is a cutie. What a blessing God has put into our family.



Saturday, June 17, 2006

CD Review: Worship God Live

I spent the last month or so listening to Sovereign Grace Music's latest release, Worship God Live. This album was recorded, as the title suggests, during a live worship and song session at Covenant Life Church in Maryland. Bob Kauflin, who serves as Director of Worship Development for Sovereign Grace Ministries, provided the CD for review without cost via an offer on his thoughtful Worship Matters blog.

As I've come to expect from worship music coming from Sovereign Grace, I was impressed by the substance and gospel-centeredness of the songs on the album. All of the songs were written by members of Sovereign Grace churches. The gospel-richness of the songs was typified by the chorus of Jesus, Thank You:
Your blood has washed away my sin
Jesus, thank You
The Father’s wrath completely satisfied
Jesus, thank You
Once Your enemy now seated at Your table
Jesus, thank You
How often do songs speak of the satisfaction of the wrath of the Father in the cross? Such clear and faithful declarations of the truths of the gospel were embodied in the songs of the album. Listening to these songs left me with little question that bringing these into a corporate worship context would help guide the congregation into reflecting on the glory of God in Christ.

One thing I'm always looking for as a song leader is songs that will help a congregation sing as one, rather than as merely a number of individuals in the same room. While there's certainly a place for hymns speaking of "I" and "me;" it's equally important that God is saving for Himself a people, and the church is the Body of Christ made up of interconnected members. When we come together as the church, it's a unique time and context for singing as the people of God and not just a bunch of persons. Therefore, I always look for songs for the church to sing together that acknowledge our oneness in Christ. The songs in particular that I liked along these lines were God Moves (an update of William Cowper's hymn with an added chorus of "... God, we trust in You..."), Receive The Glory, the upbeat How Majestic, and, of course, the updated version of O God, Our Help in Ages Past.

I also felt that nearly all of the arrangements were fitting to the lyrics. That is, too often, it seems folks think one can take any lyrics and drop some fast rock beat on without any effect on the ability to appreciate the lyrics. That kind of thinking is equivalent to thinking one could simply take the original lyrics of And Can It Be and put them to rap without taking away from the hymn's "usability" in congregational worship. I think not. In general, the album did a good job pairing meaningful lyrics with appropriate musical arrangements. In particular, I liked the album's redux of O God, Our Help in Ages Past. (Sovereign Grace, in general, has done some very tasteful and high-quality "updates" of very good hymns. The Upward album showcases some excellent examples of this.)

One area I felt the album fell short was the very prominent presence of percussion and other instruments in the production. The band/instruments were audible to the point of taking away from the ability to discern and appreciate the lyrics. I actually had to turn down the treble on my stereo in order to reduce the "noise." I tried to capture this in a short audio clip, which first features a "flat" EQ version followed by toning down the high-end treble. This is just a personal preference, but it seems altogether too common in churches these days that the worship band/instruments are very audible and the congregation's "voice" seems lost amidst the performance. I think the recording would've been better with less emphasis on the high-end percussion sound (snares/hi-hat) and electric guitar(s). Oddly enough, I didn't really perceive this as a problem listening to some of my older Sovereign Grace live recordings from the now discontinued "Come and Worship" series such as Depth of Mercy. In that album, the voices were very prominent and the instruments were in the background as I think they should be in congregational worship. To grant benefit of doubt, recordings can only capture a snippet of the actual experience. And this complaint is relatively minor, since it's something I can correct with some equalizer tweaking.

Perhaps a more serious complaint is that the style of worship leading seems much more performance-oriented than to accompanying an average congregation. Namely, when listening to a studio-recorded session of "worship songs," I fully expect a number of creative insertions, solo variations, etc. But the more I listened to this album and tried to "worship along," the more I was distracted by a number of musical interludes and segues between verses in which the worship team members were singing their own solos. If you've listened to any common live "rock" worship albums, of course, you probably know what I mean. If not, here's a sample audio clip from one of my otherwise better-liked songs on the album, Jesus, Thank You. The question I asked myself was, "What would I do while these worship bands were singing their little solos? Would I watch and wait 'til they sync'ed up? Would I sing my own solo amidst a congregation? Or would I just watch and listen to them?" Since the last seemed most likely, it seemed to violate for me a core principle of worship/song leading: don't be the center of attention. Of course, I recognize that the congregation at Covenant Life is likely accustomed to this style — and that overrides my personal concerns. Perhaps it's due to their continuationist preferences. But in general, this style seems indicative of an unhealthy trend of performance-oriented "worship leading" that's more common than not, especially among churches trying to emulate "successful" mega-churches.

All in all, the pluses outweighed the minuses of the album. I wouldn't try to emulate the worship leading style of the band(s) in the album. But the songs themselves commend themselves to be introduced to congregational worship for any church interested in new songs that are full of the gospel, of Christ, and of a passion and zeal for the glory of God. Amidst so many options for so-called worship music that is far more self-centered than God-centered, this album is a great choice. That Sovereign Grace makes all the sheet music and chord sheets available on their website for free download speaks volumes of their desire to make sure song leaders can use these great songs within their own congregations. I'd encourage any song leaders to purchase the album and pick up song sheets for songs that they think would work for their congregation.

Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Book Review Preview: Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands

I've recently begun reading
Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands: People in Need of Change Helping People in Need of Change
by Paul David Tripp. I hope to put a book review together upon completion. So far I've found it to be a very well-written and compelling book. The thesis of the book, in essence, is that too often Christians assume that "counseling" in the church is the domain of professionals. This assumption is too often fed by an unbiblical view of the pastoral ministry as *the* "ministry" -- when in fact, the saints themselves are the ministers and pastors are called simply to equip them to do it.

Having read the first 1/4 of the book, I've been impressed especially by Tripp's emphasis that preceding counseling -- informal and formal -- there must be proper understanding of what causes behavior, namely, the *heart*. He uses a number of helpful autobiographical examples to drive home this point.

One thing he points out a number of times which rang especially true is that too few Christian marriage, family and relationship books spend any time talking about the core causes underlying conflict and problems, i.e., the desires of our hearts. Much energy in these books and counseling is spent on improving communication, etc. But as he points out wisely, the problem is often not merely failing to communicate effectively with another person, but our own fallen hearts. As I've thought on a number of occasions, it's not other people who make me angry -- it's my own sinful heart. After all, Jesus in his perfect manhood would still never have sinned even under the duress of my life. It seems vain to even hint at it, given his holy response to the suffering of the cross. The point is, my sinful heart at the core of my problems -- not the external stimuli that reveal my heart.

In any case, Lord willing, I'll finish this book within the millenium and be able to offer a review.

Monday, May 22, 2006

Calissa being adored by her brothers

Well, at least, I think it's being "adored." Either that, or they're driven by immense curiosity.







And here's proof she firmly belongs in the Ding family: on day three she's a thumbsucker just like the rest!!!



Saturday, May 20, 2006

A couple more photos of Calissa





And Then There Were Four!

We gratefully announce the arrival of our fourth child, a little girl named Calissa Jane Ding. Her name is derived from the Greek word "kalos" which means "beautiful" or "good."





She was born on May 19, 2006 at 11:54 pm. Her initial stats: 7 lbs 8 oz and 18 inches long.

Oddly enough, this was Lois' longest labor yet. Her contractions began at 6:30am and continued into the evening with little progress. By then we'd checked into the hospital because Lois' water broke in the noon hour. We made a difficult decision at 9:30pm -- after 15 hours of inconsistent contractions -- to have a light drip of pitosin administered to accelerate her seemingly stalled and ineffectual labor. That did the trick (yikes!) and within 2+ hours, we had our baby girl. Through it all, as with her other two deliveries, she did it without any anesthesia.

What makes this day particularly notable is that it's also our fifth wedding anniversary. Happy anniversary, babe. Though arguably the toughest one! We'll have to do a make-up date soon...

Thank you Lord. Bless this little girl! And God bless her momma for an amazing job enduring a long and at times discouraging labor.

Friday, May 12, 2006

Some resources on feminine modesty

In a previous post I mentioned a couple of good resources on gospel-motivated feminine modesty. If you haven't read that post, I'd encourage you to first visit and download an excellent message from C.J. Mahaney titled "The Soul of Modesty."

Here are a few more recent blog-links that discuss this topic helpfully:

From the Mahaney girltalk blog
From the PyroTeam blog

Brothers and sisters, I encourage you all to take some time to consider this subject.

Friday, May 05, 2006

Two adorable and handsome boys...

... though I might be slightly biased.







And in case you missed it, a couple of months ago our Emmaline had photos taken as well!

Win a microscope from Spunky!

Spunky is giving away a Benz Microscope and Apologia Biology Set this week. Click Here to get the details.

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

How much *should* Lois make as a SAHM?

According to SalaryWizard.com, even though I bring home all the bacon, my lovely wife deserves to keep all the money and more!!! And that's based on conservative estimates of hours & no performance bonuses (which she deserves!).

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Galatians 6:9 is for parents!

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
Dear Lord, help us in our weakness, frailty and besetting sin to not quit. This parenting gig has been really tough. We do not have "easy" kids and we have a habit of also taking on "too much." Help us believe the promise of Gal. 6:9 and persevere in doing your will of parenting our children faithfully. Grant us wisdom for this daunting task. In Christ's name, Amen.

Thursday, April 20, 2006

Reflecting on parenting: patience and giving

This past week we celebrated the birthdays of our oldest two children, now 4 and 2 years old respectively. This has been a trying season for us as parents, with a new addition to our family (our adopted daughter from China, aged 14 months) and another girl to be born to us in just five weeks. A couple of thoughts come to mind as I reflect on the past few days.

On patience: As much as God has given our oldest child a joyful spirit, so too he has "inherited" my energetic personality. And though we've worked very hard to train and mold him, there remains much work. In other words, he can sometimes be very helpful, yet equally so he can be very unhelpful. And in this, we, his parents, have been tested. I've found myself on occasion feeling less than "in love with" this boy of ours—especially in his more selfish and/or self-centered moments.

More than once, though, I have been helped by thinking of the "gospel patience" of our God toward not only his enemies but his own adopted children. J.C. Ryle summed this up beautifully in his thoughts on John 13:1-5 (emphasis mine):
That He should bear with all their countless infirmities from conversion until death,—that He should never be tired of their endless inconsistencies and petty provocations,—that He should go on forgiving and forgetting incessantly, and never be provoked to cast them off and give them up,—all this is marvellous indeed! No mother watching over the waywardness of her feeble babe, in the days of its infancy [or childhood!], has her patience so thoroughly tried, as the patience of Christ is tried by Christians. Yet His longsuffering is infinite. His compassions are a well that is never exhausted.
Just when I'm at the end of myself and have lost patience and I'm about to tell my son that he doesn't deserve to receive all the blessings of being in this family, I recall that even today, I have done things which should merit my being cast out from the family of the redeemed! Ryle continues in that vein, and this helps me to re-orient my heart (to the gospel no less!):
This loving Saviour is One who delights to “receive sinners.” (Luke 15:2). Let no man be afraid of going on with Christ, after he has once come to Him and believed. Let him not fancy that Christ will cast him off because of failures and dismiss him into his former hopelessness on account of infirmities. ... Jesus will never reject any servant because of feeble service and weak performance. Those whom He receives He always keeps. Those whom He loves at first He loves at last.
And then my heart is strengthened by my Saviour's love. Not only to love my child but to show Him such love as Christ shows His own, so that my children may long to know Him as their Savior as well. After all, I am not merely called to try to order my children's behavior. More than that, I am to present to them by word and example Christ in such a way that they too might entrust their souls to Him.

On giving: We hadn't intended any particular birthday gifts for the boys, but managed to find some toys on clearance the day after Easter. Seeing the delight in my boys' faces upon receiving these simple gifts—and delighting in their delight—made me think that our Father too must take delight in giving gifts His children. Our Lord, I think, confirmed this idea when he said in Matthew 7:7-11:
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
And again, I'm brought to the reality that everything I do as a parent is an opportunity to reveal the character of my Father in Heaven to my children and lead them to Him. What a kind and generous Father we have through our Lord Jesus Christ!

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Happy Birthday Matthew!

Dearest Matthew,

You turn four years old today. Your arrival as our first child less than a year after your Mommy and I got married was a bit of a shock. And as much as we prepared for your coming both in terms of practical baby care and parenting tips, these four years have been a roller coaster of unprecedented proportions in our lives. You are quite a handful, my dear boy. And yet, it comes to mind that the Lord has in mind not merely our happiness but our holiness. And in that vein, you have been much used in our lives. Where we might've trusted our own preparations or techniques in raising you, it quickly became clear that what we have needed most is the grace of Christ in our lives to raise you up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

These four years have been a whirlwind. We look forward with both anticipation and no small amount of leaning on God's grace. Happy birthday. I love you very much, my precious Matthew. I look forward to learning together with you of the riches of God's kindness, mercy and riches in Christ in the coming years.

Love,
Daddy

P.S. For our blog visitors who were unable to join our festivities this evening, here are couple of photos of our little birthday celebration.