Dixon Family Blog

Some family got together with Cody’s sister Lindsay last night to celebrate her birthday! It was a lot of fun from watching Lindsay and Lauren try to hula hoop on the Wii fit to Amy and Lauren battling it out for 11th and 12th place in Mario Cart…we had a lot of fun and were really glad to see Aunt Lindsay! Here are a few pics of the night:

Sage with the birthday girl.

Playing mario cart on the Wii

Daddy and Sage

Nan, Gary, Amy and I have been the past two years but were unable to venture up to Minneapolis this weekend for the 2008 Desiring God national conference.  However, DG already has the videos for free online!

Thanks DG!

• Sinclair Ferguson – “The Tongue, the Bridle, and the Blessing“
• Driscoll, Ferguson, Piper - Friday Panel Discussion
• Bob Kauflin – “Words of Wonder: What Happens When We Sing?“
• Mark Driscoll – “How Sharp the Edge: Christ, Controversy, and Cutting Words“
• Daniel Taylor – “The Life-Shaping Power of Story: God’s and Ours“ 
• Kauflin, Piper, Taylor, Tripp - Saturday Panel Discussion
• Paul Tripp – “War of Words: Getting to the Heart for God’s Sake“
• John Piper – “Is There Christian Eloquence? Clear Words and the Wonder of the Cross“

Daniel sent me this video about with an explanation of the banking crisis that is worth sharing.

Some of you know that we have two cats: Chief and Emmy.  These cats have been with us since our first year of marriage, but they got the boot out of the house when Sage came along.  Our solution was to put them in the garage with the door cracked at the bottom so they could have some freedom.  I put their cat food in a container in the garage and it seemed like every morning when I would go feed them it would be knocked over on the garage floor.  I thought, “Why do they keep getting into the food, I’m giving them enough”, but then last night I found out why…Raccoon!

Well, it wasn’t that mean looking, but it was trying to knock the cat food off the shelf for a mid night buffet.  This explains so much…the late night cat fights I kept hearing…Chief’s battle scars…and the spilled food every morning.  

All I know is…Cody vs. The Coon has begun.

John Piper posted on the Desiring God Blog recently about Corporate Worship…

When I read this quote from Michael Raiter’s article, “The Slow Death of Congregational Singing,” I thought about a decision we made at Bethlehem 13 years ago. The article said:

If Bethlehem is not “singing and making melody to the Lord with [our] heart,” (Ephesians 5:19), it’s all over. We close up shop. This is no small commitment.

I was at a convention recently, seated near the rear of the auditorium. The music team at the front were ‘leading’ (and I use that word advisedly) and we were singing. Well, we were meant to be singing…. I turned to a friend next to me and commented, “No-one’s singing”. He looked at me as if I’d just observed that no-one was flying. Of course they’re not singing; we haven’t really sung here for years.

Thirteen years ago we asked: What should be the defining sound of corporate worship at Bethlehem, besides the voice of biblical preaching?

We meant: Should it be pipe organ, piano, guitar, drums, choir, worship team, orchestra, etc. The answer we gave was “The people of Bethlehem singing.”

Some thought: That’s not much help in deciding which instruments should be used. Perhaps not. But it is massively helpful in clarifying the meaning of those moments.

It is a good reminder that worship on Sunday morning isn’t about a contemporay beat or piano lead hymn, but the outward expression of God’s grace in our heart through song.

Amy, Sage and I are in Tyler this weekend to visit Nana and Papa (Nan and Gary).  Sage made it all the way from Dallas to Tyler on Friday without a peep from the backseat of the car, which is a blessing!  Amy and I have enjoyed the extra help from Gary and Nan.  I got a nap on Saturday while Amy and Nan went to Nanny’s, Amy’s Grandmother.  We are excited to see our friends from Sylvania Church on Sunday.  

We’ll post some pictures later this week.

Sage has slept through the night four nights in a row!  Such a blessing, especially for mom.  She likes to sleep in the “It’s Good!” position, like when a field goal is made, at least that is what it looks like to me.

It's Good!

Sage had her first real scare yesterday, and believe it or not, it wasn’t because of Dad!  Amy was cooking dinner while I was playing with Sage in the living room when some water landed in a pan of hot olive oil.  There was a loud popping sound and Sage flipped out and started crying uncontrollably for about 15 minutes, pooped and feel asleep.  We haven’t heard her cry like that in a while, but she is doing much better now.  In fact, she decided to sleep through the night (maybe we should scare her more often! )

Fun stuff!