it’s an odd intersection of thought (or perhaps not), but as i’ve been reflecting on parenthood over the last 10 days, the impression at the forefront of my mind is not some deep theological reflection (although some has briefly occurred to me) or substantive relational epiphany (that, too has crossed my mind)- instead, what has most struck me initially is how much stuff newborn babies “need” and how much waste they create. it’s astounding. diapers (a lot of them), baby wipes, bottle accessories, burp cloths, bibs, onesies, and the list goes on. as much of that stuff goes through its consumption cycle, enormous resources (mostly water at this point) are committed to continuing the cycle. it’s as if i can feel my ecological footprint expanding with each successive poopy diaper i discard. (more…)
…and so are his parents. here’s a brief video shot on the second day of his life at the hospital- sorry about it being sideways. sleep deprivation has apparently inhibited our ability to operate our camera properly.
in case you’re wondering, i set the video to weezer’s my name is jonas. more to come later! we’re sleeping a little more every day, and in the meantime, jonas is certainly showing us how to yawn.
here i am, world! and man am i tired!
after a long and dramatic labor, chris heroically gave birth to jonas cornel leong- 8 lbs, 9 ounces- on april 15th, 2008 at 11:47 PM. mommy and baby are tired but well, daddy is exhausted, and right now i lack the finger dexterity to type more. pictures and details to follow- much thanks to the many who called, prayed, emailed, and so on. thanks be to god!
no, baby leong hasn’t arrived just yet, but hopefully he’s on his way soon. i’ve heard it said that observing a woman in childbirth gives men a new and profound respect for the fairer gender, and i can now attest to the truth of this statement. chris endured 24 hours of early labor sleeplessness, 10 hours of excruciating contractions (without any medication), and after getting somewhat stuck today at around 5pm, she finally accepted the epidural and is now getting some well-deserved rest. chris (and every mother for that matter) deserves a medal of honor for her strength and endurance in the face of pain that would surely bring the manliest of men to their knees in weepy surrender. (more…)
with the dalai lama in town, nearly everyone in seattle seems temporarily preoccupied with questions about compassion- what is it? how can we cultivate it in children? can compassion really change the world? what i’ve found interesting about the local news coverage is that as much as i agree with with the dalai lama’s message of hope and change through non-violence and compassion, the media has spun this as yet another moralistic and vaguely spiritual movement of kindness and charity, something the enlightened progressive seattleites eat up every time. and while i’m glad that he’s here and the “positive message” is gaining attention, i wonder if we’re actually missing out on the root of compassion by glossing over suffering with the ear candy of generic benevolence. (more…)
i’ve loved the work of NT Wright for years (though not quite as long as cool folks like dan who discovered tom in the late 80s way before he was so popular), but never has his genius been so apparent to me as it is now through simply christian (thanks to jeff and tai for the recommendation). it’s not tom’s longest, most complex, or most inventive book. it’s not loaded with theological grandeur or epistemological sophistication. it’s not his best-selling, or most highly praised contribution to the already congested world of “christian books.” and yet i find it so compelling and rich. if there was only one book (okay, aside from the bible) that i could recommend about christianity, this would probably be it. i think the one small problem is that it would probably help to have read some of tom’s other work first, and only then will you be able to really appreciate how he’s integrated much of his life’s scholarship into this brilliant yet accessible look at why the christian faith just makes sense. (more…)
well, the official 10 day countdown until baby leong’s due date is beginning and there’s a lot i’m looking forward to (and then there’s a few things i’m less excited about). it’s hard to believe the little guy’s been cooking in chris’ belly for 9 months, and he’s pretty much ready to come out now. i’ve been reading the baby owner’s manual (which is actually more helpful than it looks), and so i feel pretty “prepared,” but are we ready? here’s my list… (more…)
