The “Mug” Post
I know that some of you may have short-term memory, but many of you may remember a post I published back in January entitled, “How Do You Pronounce This Word?”
What was the word? Grandpa.
All I did was show a picture of a coffee mug, then promise that more details would follow.
Well, now is the time to share the details that I promised earlier.
But first…
Meet My Granddaughter!
Emma Louise Westbrook!
On Friday the 24th of this month (May), I officially became a grandpa – Emma’s adoption became final. The above picture was taken at the courthouse, and it’s obvious she’s intelligent enough to understand everything that was happening.
Who wouldn’t smile at the thought of being the granddaughter of a grandpa who can sing, draw, color, play with blocks, imitate Grover from Sesame Street, and generally be a kid at the drop of a hat?
Adoption Conversation
I have to admit, I look forward to the day, someday in the future, when the whole subject of adoption can lead to an “adoption conversation.”
There are five times in the Bible where “adoption” is mentioned. One of those times is in the well-known verse below:
For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. – Romans 8:15
It will be great to one day have a conversation with her about salvation, and from an aspect that few of us understand as much as she will – because she’s that intelligent š
We will talk about how that just like her mom and dad, her Father in heaven said, “I’ll do whatever it takes to make her mine.” And maybe – because she’s a smart one – she’ll enlighten me to some deeper aspects of a truth that applies equally to me.
I’m so happy that Josh and Alicia were able to have their dream come true to expand their family. We were already so proud of them, but now we are even more proud of how they are becoming the best parents they can be.
My prayer for them is that they also think of the “adoption conversation” and remember that they, more than anyone else in the world, will be able to mirror the love of the Father in their parenting. By their example they can lay the groundwork for a personal introduction to the One who wants to adopt us all into His Family.
Now that you know her, expect more in the future – I’m a grandpa, you know.Ā
The Recovering Legalist 
She’s beautiful! What an adorable smile! Let the Granddad stories begin!! š Congratulations to all!
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Love that sweet Grand.
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That was a beautiful post about a beautiful baby! Congratulations.
Do you use the KJV?
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Thanks.
I use it, yes, but not exclusively. Iām not a KJV-only guy, in other words. I could go into more detail, if youād like, as to my reasoning. But thatās my short answer.
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Come on Anthony! Be KJVO! Youād be the only SBC who is since Dr. Adrian Rogers died.
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Are you saying Adrian Rogers was KJV-only?
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The only version I ever heard Dr. Rogers use was the KJV.
I personally will only sit under the authority of a pastor if he is KJVO.
But thatās just me.
My philosophy is that I trust the Bible and I donāt trust men that try and correct the Bible.
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Well, at least you āsit under,ā right? I mean, no good making the argument if you aināt applying it. But if your pastor is preaching sound doctrine, and heās using the KJV, and youāre listening and obeying the Spirit, then who am I to argue about it? God bless.
But, in a little defense of my āphilosophy,ā I trust the Bible, too. As to those who ācorrectā it, we must acknowledge that the KJV translators sought to clarify previous versions…the ones the KJV translators would have been reading and studying when THEY got saved. But even when a preacher expounds on Scripture, does he not many times āexplainā the words and phrases that translate poorly in a modern context? I mean, does everyone know what it means to āfetch a compassā or that the ācornā mentioned anywhere in the KJV was NOT the corn we typically think of today?
Whenever I preach from a text, I do my best to look at the original language (after reading the KJV), read it in other versions, makes sure I understand the context, and look for reasons why there are any differences. Sometimes that way of study leads to even a better understanding of why the KJV translators chose their words. Sometimes it leads to an understanding as to why the KJV SHOULD be clarified. But the key is that this is NOT changing Godās word, but doing what Ezra did when he read and āexplainedā the law.
But if it makes you feel ANY better, the Bible that I most often take to the pulpit is a Zodiates Key Word Study Bible in the KJV. Iāve literally had it since my ordination 24 years ago.
On a final note, Dr. Rogers was a great man of God.
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It does make me feel better. š
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But why does anything need to be clarified? I homeschooled 3 and later taught school. My kids always only used the KJV. I mean, we all understood it.
Hey, Iām not trying to argue you out of your position. I just would trust the entire body of work of the translators rather than someone in todayās world who googled some Greek and Hebrew renderings.
Not saying thatās what you do, but in essence, the preacher who thinks he can correct Scripture is on dangerous ground, in my book.
Anyway, your reply to me was thoughtful and long, I appreciate your time. Iām going to go back and re-read it.
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Ok, well, first off, not everyone receives a quality homeschool education (we homeschooled our daughters, btw) š. But even those who study Shakespeare do well to learn what he meant when he used idioms and words that have changed in meaning over 400 years, else theyāll misunderstand a lot. For example, if one doesnāt understand what it means to screw oneās courage to a sticking post, they may not understand that to āquit ye like menā doesnāt mean give up.
Sometimes the words in the KJV really do need to be modernized, or else a note needs to be added. For example, ask 10 people what the prodigal son would have eaten if only it had been given to him (because āfein filledā means he didnāt get any). More than likely they will answer it was corn husks…you know, like what you have when you shuck corn. But it wasnāt. It was the pods from the carob tree, not even the carob bean. āCornā as we know it hadnāt even been discovered, yet!
So why did the KJV translators use the word ācornā in the rest of the Bible? Because ācornā was a word Europeans used to universally describe any grain, even wheat. Thatās what āparched cornā is.
So, unless one is purposefully educated in etymology and the foods of Persian peasants, some truths of Scripture could be misunderstood, even though at the time of the translation of the KJV the words would have been perfectly plain.
Then, thereās all those āpissethā passages (1Sam25:22; 1Kings 16:11; 2 Kings 9:8) and the talk about asses… Iād rather use other words from the pulpit these days. SURELY you can sympathize we me on that point š
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I thought corn referred to a type of seed?
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I feel guilty for making so many off topic comments in your granddaughterās welcome post!
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Youāre blessing my heart for just conversing about things that matter. Donāt apologize.
Worse comes to worse, itās just that many more āhitsā and āviewsā ā¤ļøā¤ļøā¤ļøššš LOL!
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The thing about sitting under authority, I do totally believe that.
I would not ever argue with my pastor and if I ever heard or saw something I could in all good conscious agree with, (not mild things, but you know, very big or bad things), then Iād leave rather than argue.
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Let me give you a glimpse inside my ministry… I admit imperfection – Iām only human. I believe in the seriousness of the role of pastor, but I welcome anyone in my congregation to come to me with a disagreement. Iām not the Pope, and I can misspeak (Iām being sarcastic, of course). As I see it, if Paul called the Bereans ānobleā because they fact-checked him with Scripture, I should expect no less. I wear big boy britches and can accept it when Iām wrong – I NEED to be corrected when Iām wrong! Remember how George Bailey saved the Pharmacistās rear by pointing out how heād put poison in the bottle?
I would never smack a congregant for humbly coming to me with a question. If nothing else, itās an opportunity to learn and love.
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I just wouldnāt see it as my place, as a female. See what I mean?
I had a pastor that I dearly loved. He was the best at teaching and exhorting.
He was nothing at all like Jack Hyles, but he loved him and lauded him from the pulpit. No matter what layer of sordid truth was revealed.
He said one Sunday, āNo one has a right to worry about or talk about what is going on at First Baptist Hammond.ā
I disagreed strongly with that. As long as Hyles Anderson is soliciting IFB schools for incoming students, my opinion was that you better start looking at that situation and stop sending kids to Indiana.
I couldnāt deal with that mindset. I wasnāt going to approach my pastor because while I firmly believed what I did, I also didnāt think that as a female it was my place to approach him about that.
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I see what youāre saying in that context. I understand. You going to him regarding that would have probably been ill-received. However, it should have been addressed, even if by some elders in the church. But, understanding the mindset, that would have probably been taken as an attack, too.
One thing that stands out in your comment, however, is how often some IFB pastors regularly (for lack of a better term) āidolizedā other popular pastors. I saw it a lot when I was younger, especially after a pastorās conference. Whatever the Jack Hylesā of the world preached, thatās what and how theyād preach. If it worked at Highland Park, then it surely would work somewhere else. And the ironic thing about it all was they all claimed to be āindependent.ā
For the record (for anyone reading), ALL Southern Baptist Churches are INDEPENDENT! I donāt get my sermons from Nashville, nor does anyone anywhere outside the four walls of our building have any say in anything we do. We are JUST as independent as any Independent Baptist. The autonomy of the local congregation is a inherent distinctive of Baptists in America.
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Yes, I can agree. Some IFB pastors do tend to emulate the Big Dogs.
I think weāll get along just fine. There is enough conservative-ish-ness about you that I can accept.
Yāall Southern Baptist over Rick Warren yet? Is he still a thing?
I donāt get that.
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Iām not a Rick Warren fan š. Let me prove it. Hold on.
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It sent me to the edit function. :-). Hey, donāt let me make you feel defensive.
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Ha! Better edit that!
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Hereās the proper link š That could have been a disaster!
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It just said I wasnāt allowed.
Looking forward to reading.
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You may need a cup of coffee.
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I read the first few paragraphs. Iāll finish it tomorrow. My eyes hurt. Somehow I crashed my work website by uploading a plain text post and Iām not going to lie, it scared me to pieces!
But I promise I will circle back around to it. I listened to I Samuel on the way home so Iām all up in false idols.
Take care friend.
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In case you havenāt read it, hereās something Iāve already written on the subject. BTW, thanks for reading my stuff. Iāll check your blog out, soon.
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Donāt feel obligated to read me. I promise Iām not interesting as a writer one bit. I just have the overriding desire to write about people I meet in my new career, and the mistakes Iāve made. š
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Oh my goodness. Dr. Rice. My father knew him and loved him. I still use his āWhat Must I Do to Be Savedā tract.
Iāll be sure and read that in its entirety.
I donāt think he was a heretic but he sure toted water for Jack Hyles.
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That’s awesome!!!!! Congratulations
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Thanks !
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