Welcoming Calvin

As my littlest boy sleeps on my lap I will brief you on some of the action of the past few days.

Friday: Told to plan to be at the hospital for induction from 7-7:30am. All 15 delivery rooms were full. Grateful to have a room after lunchtime. The same room Audrey was born in.

Membranes artificially ruptured to induce labour 2pm. Active labour from 2:15pm. Straight in the shower. Out of the shower with a new baby just before 4pm. It was no ordinary shower, but I shan't blog about all the details! My midwife and my husband were very obliging to cram into the small space to "catch" Calvin. Glad I had packed spare clothes for Steve - the shower didn't get turned off for a while!

Stayed a couple of nights in hospital until Winton and Audrey were over the worst of their sickness. Was so glad for them to finally meet Calvin yesterday when they came to pick me up (although the event itself was pretty chaotic!). It has been lovely to be home all together since. We have been enjoying introducing Calvin to many special people. There are still many left to meet.

A picture of things "as they were" last night, after my arrival home. Embracing the chaos.

Winton has recovered from the fact that Calvin is not a girl called "Jamesy" (his name idea, in honour of his special friend James who has moved away). Initially, Calvin's arrival was a "little bit great", a "little bit exciting" and he was "a little bit glad". Now, Winton is less moderate and is regularly gushing about how cute Calvin is. The day after Calvin was born Winton told Steve that he wished we had called him Calvin when he was born.

Audrey's new favourite line is "My hold it? My cuddle baby Calwin?". She has suddenly become very maternal. She is full of suggestions whenever Calvin is crying, "Baby Calwin need your milk? Baby need my milk? Baby need cuddle?".

Steve has been working very, very hard keeping all of us going. I am so grateful. God's generosity to me through Steve is vast.

The usual fatigue is setting in as more time elapses since I have had solid sleep - not a complaint, just a fact. I am finding that there are small opportunities to read my Bible or listen to a psalm (it was a great way to block out the sound of other people snoring in hospital!). I am finding I am not really in the "mood", but it is happening. I'm sure I will write a little about how I am going with all that some time.

Calvin resting with me this morning.

For now, I am off to have a cuddle with my husband and a snooze before the next feed...

Psalm 48: Who, What, Where?

Calvin and I were reading Psalm 48 together over a hospital tray breakfast yesterday morning (later this morning we will enjoy breakfast at home, where we are very glad to be!).

Psalm 48 is full of familiar pictures that might be insignificant to us. I found it helped me to try and "see" the drama of the Psalm 48 scene. What groups of people are mentioned in the psalm (who)? Where is the psalm "happening"? How is that place described? What happens there? How do various people feel about that place?

Let me say that verse 6 felt rather real a few days ago.

There is still plenty of mystery in this psalm, but this could be a starting place for thinking about it.

Psalm Sunday: Psalm 48

1Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised
in the city of our God!
His holy mountain, ² beautiful in elevation,
is the joy of all the earth,
Mount Zion, in the far north,
the city of the great King.
³Within her citadels God has made himself known as a fortress.

⁴For behold, the kings assembled;
they came on together.
⁵As soon as they saw it, they were astounded;
they were in panic; they took to flight.
⁶ Trembling took hold of them there,
anguish as of a woman in labor.
⁷By the east wind you shattered
the ships of Tarshish.
⁸As we have heard, so have we seen
in the city of the LORD of hosts,
in the city of our God,
which God will establish forever.
Selah

⁹We have thought on your steadfast love, O God,
in the midst of your temple.
¹⁰As your name, O God,
so your praise reaches to the ends of the earth.
Your right hand is filled with righteousness.
¹¹Let Mount Zion be glad!
Let the daughters of Judah rejoice
because of your judgments!

¹²Walk about Zion, go around her,
number her towers,
¹³consider well her ramparts,
go through her citadels,
that you may tell the next generation
¹⁴that this is God,
our God forever and ever.
He will guide us forever.

Meet baby...

This is Calvin Andrew born 17th July at 4pm weighing in at 4kg (8lbs 13oz) measuring 54.5cm. Mummy feels tired and relieved. Daddy feels tired and thankful. Winton feels a "little bit excited" (he might be more excited if it were a little sister!). Audrey feels sleepy. Calvin seems to feel like his big sister! May God show the greatness of Jesus in Calvin's life.

Off to have a baby today

Plans have been made for us to meet our baby today. It is special to meet someone who is going to be one of the most significant people in your life, but who is in many ways still a stranger.

Don't panic if it takes a while for Steve to get onto my blog to make an announcement - he will be very busy! And for many of you, rest assured you won't have to wait for a blog post to find out!

Soft, sad, little Jesus (Ps 47)

Psalm 47 feels like an irrelevant cliche.

Rejoice. Praise the Lord. God is King. The Old Testament forerunner to "Jesus is Lord". The sort of thing exuberant Christians say mindlessly. Easy to say, but somewhat disconnected from the real world. What does it mean anyway?

I grew up with the idea that Jesus' lordship is about me. I invite Jesus to be Lord of my heart. As if he wouldn't be if I didn't let him. As if he is only Lord when people give him permission to be. What a little lord.

Or maybe Jesus is a "theoretical" Lord as he sits by and watches Satan ransack the world, wondering what will happen next. Maybe Jesus will be Lord one day, but until then, he doesn't really do anything (except when I let him "in the castle of my heart"!).

What a soft, sad, little Jesus. The sort of lord who has soft, scared and embarrassed followers. Followers who would rather sheepishly suggest that people "come and hear how Jesus is relevant to your life", or "how Jesus can fix you" than talk about his lordship. I am one of those people.

How much of our personal and public evangelism proclaims a king who is to be feared (vv.1-2)? One who is actually alive now? A king who really does rule over everything supremely - now. A king who deserves to be adored and esteemed over everything that exists (v.2, 9). A king who owns everything and everyone (vv.2, 7-9). A king who is so good that his people clap and sing and rejoice and praise and shout and are supremely happy to belong to him (vv.1, 5-7). A king who is in charge and who does what he wants. A king who loves and fights for his people (vv.3-4). A king who the nations flock to (v.9). A strong, victorious, unrivalled and satisfied king.

If you read about the message of Jesus spreading after his death and resurrection, (in the book of Acts), it is very much a gospel about a living king who really rules. The urgent call of the gospel is not "come and see how Jesus is relevant to your life", but, "Jesus who you killed is alive. He is coming again to judge. Repent and pin your trust on him so you will be saved from that approaching judgement." (eg. Acts 2:14-41) Rather untrendy, offensive sermons really.

You will find it in the book of Revelation too*. Revelation shows the real king Jesus ruling over every second of history. He is the lamb who was slain to take away the sins of his people. This lamb is also the lion, the triumphant, terrifying king who will judge the nations and bring the violent horror of this world to a just end. That is the sort of king to be feared, to be listened to and to be rejoiced in, Psalm 47 style. Having a good king who actually does rule (even if mysteriously) is something to be very, very happy about. It is something to talk about without apology or embarrassment. It is the very good reality.

*I highly recommend "Apocalypse Now and Then: Reading Revelation Today" by Paul Barnett as a great book to help you read and understand the whole book of Revelation, along with "Gospel and Revelation" by Graeme Goldsworthy. Both are easy to read and so, so useful. Essential resources.

Baby update (again)

We are still waiting for our baby. Labour will be induced at the end of the week unless things kick in before then. God is always good and loving and merciful, even when he isn't giving us what we want, when we want it. Father, help me not be a sulking, grumbling child.

While we wait, I am looking forward to finishing the Snugglepot and Cuddlepie adventures with Winton. Then Winton is reading Dangerous Journey (again) with his daddy. Special times. Audrey is spending a lot of her time wandering around with her notebook and pen anouncing, "Look! My write my name!". Frequent (and long) hospital appointments mean I am missing the children a lot. Winton is very keen to be present and helpful for the birth (thanks to Hello Baby). He keeps giving Steve and I instructions for what we will need to do when the baby is coming. One of these reenactments happened in a busy corridor of the John Hunter Hospital. Very helpful.

Anyway, there may or may not be a post on Psalm 47 soon. I have been reading it over and listening to it and writing out my thoughts (while waiting for appointments etc!). We'll see if any of them make it into sentences!