Emery Lewis Nielsen

The Trilogy of children is now complete. Trifecta, trinity, trilectical tension, triceratops, triple threat position... all that to say we now have three kids.

Emery was welcomed into this world yesterday at 2:02 pm. We were scheduled for a c-section. We got to the hospital at around 1pm and he was born an hour later. Our OB was not messing around. It was the fastest thing I have ever seen. I would rather have that than waiting around all day.

Here are the specs:
-6 lbs 11 oz
-20 inches
-We thought the hair was red, it's not, it's blonde like his siblings
-Wicked cone head

Kim is doing well and since this is her 3rd c-section she really knows what to expect. God has been so good to us to provide three beautiful children.

Baby #3

Today is the big day. My wife and I will be heading out (no pun intended) to the hospital around 2pm for my wife's scheduled c-section. We are having a baby boy. We are excited and nervous all at the same time. Life is truly a gift from God, but sleep is as well and once you get over 30 it becomes even more important. Thus the excitement and nervousness. Experience tells us though that God provides what you need to get through whatever sleep deprived haze you may be wading through, so I'm sure we'll be fine.

Moving from man-to-man defense with two kids to zone defense with three will also be an interesting new challenge (please forgive the basketball metaphor if you are not a fan). We are not totally set on a name yet, so if you want to throw out some suggestions, we are game.

For my wife's first two c-sections, I didn't watch that much, fearing that I might lose my lunch or pass out, but this time around I think I might try and catch as much of the action as I can stomach (again, no pun intended).

We would covet your prayers today that God would give grace to all involved. Children truly are a blessing from the Lord.

Buster Speaks Out!

Anyone remember Arrested Development? If not, you need to check it out on DVD. Basically, it's the funniest show ever created for TV. One of my favorite characters from the show, Tony Hale, who played Buster, is interviewed here on what it's like being a Christian in the entertainment industry.

John Mayer - The Village Sessions EP

Yesterday I purchased the new release from John Mayer called, The Village Sessions. Here is the description from his blog:

The long-awaited digital release of the indie EP "The Village Sessions" has finally arrived. The EP was recorded with guitarist Robbie McIntosh in late 2006 after that Fall's US Continuum Tour. It features acoustic versions of songs from Continuum and includes very special guest Ben Harper on "Waiting On The World To Change."

One of the coolest things about this record is that when you buy it from iTunes it comes with a 20 minute video that documents the amazing process that John went through to record the song "In Repair". He basically challenged himself to write a whole original song in one day. He came with no set idea of what would happen but through inviting some of the world's best musicians (drummer, Steve Jordan and 8 string guitarist, Charlie Hunter) to collaborate with and having a great environment to work in, they came out with a very cool song. This movie documents this process and it was extremely interesting to watch raw creativity in action.

John Mayer fans have to get this recording. It's really good.

Part 3

Here is part three of Hitchens/Wilson debate hosted by Christianity Today.com. My favorite paragraph this time from Wilson to Hitchens:

Take the vilest atheist you ever heard of. Imagine yourself sitting at his bedside shortly before he passes away. He says, following Sinatra, "I did it my way." And then he adds, chuckling, "Got away with it too." In our thought experiment, the one rule is that you must say something to him, and whatever you say, it must flow directly from your shared atheism—and it must challenge the morality of his choices. What can you possibly say? He did get away with it. There is a great deal of injustice behind him, which he perpetrated, and no justice in front of him. You have no basis for saying anything to him other than to point to your own set of personal prejudices and preferences. You mention this to him, and he shrugs. "Tomayto, tomahto."

The Worship Industry

Say what you will about Brian McClaren and his wacky theology, I think he has much good to say here in this video clip from The Work of The People.



(HT: Brad)

One look says a thousand words

Pro-Abortion Arguments

If you want to be an advocate for the lives of the unborn you might consider diving into the arguments and "ethics" of those who are pro-abortion. (I hate the word "pro-choice"...choosing what?) Here is an article entitled, "Abortion: why it’s the ultimate motherly act", by Caitlin Moran that turns abortion into a potentially moral act that should be pursued in many circumstances.

I guess this leads to an honest question for myself and those of you reading this: If you want to be an advocate for the unborn, do you actually have any friends that are pro-abortion? If not, why not?

(HT: Big Mike)

Selective Abortion

Al Mohler reports on the slippery slope of selective abortion. He writes,

Just days after reporting that 90 percent of all babies diagnosed with Down syndrome are now aborted, Amy Harmon reports in The New York Times that the real reach of the question goes far beyond Down syndrome. Now, some babies are aborted for virtually any trait considered undesirable by the mother or parents -- and ethicists seem unwilling to draw any clear lines

Read the whole post here.

Rudy and Abortion

The STR blog has a good post dealing with Rudy Guiliani and his position on abortion.

Ashley

Louie Giglio recounts a moving story about a college girl named Ashley on the 268 blog. You can find it here.

Season 4 of The Office

Good news for fans of The Office.

(HT: JT)

Humilty and Worship

Jeffery Ream posts a few good thoughts of the importance of humility for worship.

Noah's Ark Project

Here is a cool story that should stir up wonder and praise towards God in light of his creation. It's called the Noah's Ark project and it attempts to catalog all of life on planet Earth.

I wonder if these animals will make the list?

(HT: Relevant Mag)

Next Gen iPod

Check out the specs on the next generation of the iPod. Not sure when it comes out...

Round 2

The 2nd installment of the Hitchens/Wilson debate can now be found here.

I am finding their back and fourth exchange to be very enjoyable. Both men are good writers and thinkers. A Christian might say that Hitchens is not a good thinker due to the fact that he is an atheist (they would say the same about us!) but we should be quick to remember (if you take the Bible seriously) that being a Christian has much less to do with thinking about facts than is does divine calling from above. James implies that demons know more about theology than I ever will, but the problem is that they hate what they know.

Here is my favorite portion of this current posting:

When another atheist makes different ethical choices than you do (as Stalin and Mao certainly did), is there an overarching common standard for all atheists that you are obeying and which they are not obeying? If so, what is that standard and what book did it come from? Why is it binding on them if they differ with you? And if there is not a common objective standard which binds all atheists, then would it not appear that the supernatural is necessary in order to have a standard of morality that can be reasonably articulated and defended?

For Who You Are

When I lived in Nashville last year, I had a songwriting publishing deal for about 6 months with Word Entertainment. I quickly found out that the "sit in a room 3x a week and write hits" approach to songwriting really wasn't my style. I am very thankful for the opportunity that I had to work with some great people and learn a lot about the "right" way to write a song, but it just wasn't me. I really didn't enjoy trying to fit into the box that I was forced to write in. Some would say that a good writer can fit into any box that you place upon him. I get that and I met many writers like that. Perhaps I was just not that great of a writer, and I am fine with that reality.

Anyway, all that to say, a couple of the songs that I co-wrote did see the light of day and one of them just got released on the latest Women of Faith CD. The song is called "For Who You Are". You can find it here (iTunes, double click to hear sample) or here (Amazon).

When I lived in Nashville for those two short years, I never would have thought that I would have gotten cuts on a Women of Faith CD and a Point of Grace CD (I co-wrote a song that made it on their upcoming record). No offense to these artists, but to be most honest, this style of music is not my preference, but when you are hired to write songs for a record label and publishing company, you have to try and create what sells. This style of music is, generally speaking, the dominate seller in the Christian market. Thus you have to do what you have to do to get paid. Herein lies the classic clash between art and commerce.

Am I a musical prostitute or a sell-out? A mercenary? Maybe, but whatever the case may be, I learned a lot from it and am grateful for having had the experience in Nashville that I did. Thought you might want to hear a bit of it...

Hitchens vs. Wilson

Christopher Hitchens (atheist) and Douglas Wilson (Christian theologian) have begun an online written debate concerning the following topic: "Is Christianity Good for the World?"

The first installment is an interesting read. You can find it here.

This is my favorite portion of Doug's response to Christopher:

In your second objection, you gaily dismiss the Old Testament, "which speaks hotly in recommending genocide, slavery, genital mutilation, and other horrors." Setting aside for the moment whether your representation of the Old Testament is judicious or accurate, let me assume for the sake of discussion that you have accurately summarized the essence of Mosaic ethics here. You then go on to say that we who teach such stories to children have been "damned by history." But why should this "damnation by history" matter to any of us reading Bible stories to kids, or, for that matter, to any of the people who did any of these atrocious things, on your principles? These people are all dead now, and we who read the stories are all going to be dead. Why should any of us care about the effeminate judgments of history? Should the propagators of these "horrors" have cared? There is no God, right? Because there is no God, this means that—you know—genocides just happen, like earthquakes and eclipses. It is all matter in motion, and these things happen.

If you are on the receiving end, there is only death, and if you are an agent delivering this genocide, the long-term result is brief victory and death at the end. So who cares? Picture an Israelite during the conquest of Canaan, doing every bad thing that you say was occurring back then. During one of his outrages, sword above his head, should he have stopped for a moment to reflect on the possibility that you might be right? "You know, in about three and a half millennia, the consensus among historians will be that I am being bad right now. But if there is no God, this disapproval will certainly not disturb my oblivion. On with the rapine and slaughter!" On your principles, why should he care?

Interesting Punishment

Don't shoplift at Wal-Marts in Alabama.

(HT: Relevant Magazine)

The Future of "Lost"

"Lost" will continue for three more seasons and 48 more episodes. Read about it here.

I want more answers and less plot complexity!!! It is getting a bit ridiculous as this point.

(HT: Relevant)