At the new CBMW blog, Dr. Randy Stinsen explains how a new disciplinary measure for police in Bangkok points to the differences between men and women,

Are the differences between man and woman merely a social construct or are they something more deeply woven into the fabric of creation? Does each gender possess certain attributes, skills, proclivities and tastes that are intrinsically tied to gender? Law enforcement in one major city, in practice at least, demonstrates the truth of the God-ordained differences between men and women.

Policemen in Bangkok are now subject to a disciplinary measure requiring them to wear a pink Hello Kitty armband for various misdemeanor infractions.

“Simple warnings no longer work,” said Pongpat Chayaphan, acting chief of the Crime Suppression Division in Bangkok, who instituted the new humiliation this week.

“This new twist is expected to make them feel guilt and shame and prevent them from repeating the offense, no matter how minor,” he said. “Kitty is a cute icon for young girls. It’s not something macho police officers want covering their biceps.”

Gender distinctions are part of the created order, and as such have been imprinted on the hearts of men and women. These distinctions involve certain responsibilities and roles, which in turn help to define masculinity and femininity. The fall has introduced distortions and confusion in this area, but there is still a God-given inclination for men (in this case) to resist being categorized as effeminate even if they are not necessarily doing so on any biblical grounds.

Thank you, my good friend Sean Gould for ever pointing us to Christ in all of life.  Sean Gould keeps up a fine blog over at 11:36. The title of his blog is from his favorite verse, Romans 11:36 which reads, “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” Sean and I have many great conversations about how all of life finds its meaning in the gospel and the God of its glorious invention.

Here’ s a theology of eyes from Sean’s blog,

As I woke up this morning at 5:30am before my daily walk with my wife, I noticed that my eyelids were working extremely hard to keep the bedroom light out.  My eyes wanted to start the day, but my eyelids did not.  This prompted my walk to think about the purposes and functions of eyelids and just how they reflect such a creative and infinitely wise God.

The eyelid’s main purpose is to protect and moisturize the eyeball so that we can see.  The eyelid does an amazing job at this by blinking over 12,000 times per day, most of which we don’t even realize.  What an interesting body part that God has created to help us see.

Ultimately, the eyes of our heart (and soon our physical eyes) were created to see and behold Jesus Christ.  Do your eyes do this now?

“Though you have not seen him, you love him.  Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory.” (1 Peter 1:8) So thank God today for your physical eyes, but more importantly your spiritual eyes.  It is only by these latter eyes can we truly see and make sense of the world.

I agree with C.S. Lewis when he writes, “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”

As an aside, the gracious simplicity that marks all things Sean Gould is reflected in the about page of his blog,

This has to illustrate something. Any ideas? There’s order in the universe. Right and wrong matters. Computers may be smart, but they are not intelligent.

From the Associated Press,

SEATTLE — Microsoft Corp.’s Excel 2007 spreadsheet program is going to have to relearn part of its multiplication table.

In a blog post, Microsoft employee David Gainer said that when computer users tried to get Excel 2007 to multiply some pairs of numbers and the result was 65,535, Excel would incorrectly display 100,000 as the answer.

Gainer said Excel makes mistakes multiplying 77.1 by 850, 10.2 by 6,425 and 20.4 by 3,212.5, but the program appears to be able to handle 16,383.75 times 4.

“Further testing showed a similar phenomenon with 65,536 as well,” Gainer wrote Tuesday.

He said Excel was actually performing the calculations correctly, but when it comes time to show the answer on the screen, it messes up.

Gainer said the bug is limited to six numbers from 65,534.99999999995 to 65,535, and six numbers from 65,535.99999999995 to 65,536, and that Microsoft is working hard to fix the problem.

Anyone of either gender will be greatly encouraged by this three-part interview of Mrs. Mary Mohler posted over at the new Pendergraph blog. Mary Mohler is the wife of Dr. Albert Mohler, President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY, and Pendergraph is a ministry of Southern Seminary and Boyce College women to all the women associated with these two great schools. Students, wives and faculty wives gather monthly for events, encouragement and ministry.

My lovely wife, Kristi, serves on the Pendergraph board with a group of wonderful ladies. I am thrilled for the ministry this group of women have to the other women on campus.

If their site strikes your fancy, post a link on your blog and help spread the word!

Help spread the word about

Enjoy!

In the year 2007, what a person thinks about motherhood is a worldview litmus test.

Even the most disinterested person knows what’s going on in the life of Brittany Spears. On all but few news websites, the events of her life are paraded among half a dozen links to articles on the latest thing she has done. And for all that Brittany is doing these days, the most tragic thing is what she is not doing – responsibly caring for her children. Tragically, Spears and our national interest in her life – especially for entertainment value – is a reminder of the dullness of our spiritual senses to true beauty. When we see these links, we should pray for this mother and for these children. For us, this must be the purpose of these links.

So, as those who are not of the world but in it for a reason, fresh reminders of the beauty and sacredness of motherhood are a treasure to receive and a pleasure to provide.

In the context of the day’s headlines, Kristi and I are delighted with Caedmon’s Call’s newly released album, Overdressed. This group is know for its reputation of merging the beauty of truth with the struggle of life’s situations. Since 1997, with their Self Titled release and such songs as, Buss Driver, I have appreciated Caedmon’s Call’s all-of-life concern of what the Christian life entails. All topics are Christian topics and this is reflected in their writing.

Strung throughout their albums are some of the best songs about love and relationships and romance that I have enjoyed. There may have been a time when I thought Christian songs had to be specifically about Jesus, but I have been listening to Caedmon’s Call long enough to know that songs about anything can be songs about Jesus – especially songs about relationships, love and marriage. Table for Two expressed well the struggle of the single Christian to rest in the sovereignty of God as he navigates his way to marriage. Mistake of My Life captured the transitional drama and thrill that accompanies the engagement period and Love is Different provided a reflection on the hard meaning of love in a marital relationship.

Now, in their new album, Caedmon’s Call speaks to the sacredness of motherhood in their song, Sacred. In classic Caedmon’s Call fashion, they have said something wonderful here and they have said it in a wonderful way. Especially for mothers, this song should prove a comfort and a help in seeing the majesty and beauty in the simplest and seemingly non-sacred moments of a mothers day.

Sacred

this house is a good mess
it’s the proof of life
no way would I trade jobs
but it don’t pay overtime

I’ll get to the laundry
I don’t know when
I’m saying a prayer tonight
cause tomorrow it starts again

could it be that everything is sacred?
and all this time
everything I’ve dreamed of
has been right before my eyes

the children are sleeping
but they’re running through my mind
the sun makes them happy
and the music makes them unwind

my cup runneth over
and I worry about the stain
teach me to run to You
like they run to me for every little thing

when I forget to drink from you
I can feel the banks harden
Lord, make me like a stream
to feed the garden

wake up, little sleeper
the Lord, God Almighty
made your Mama keeper
so rise and shine
rise and shine cause

everything is sacred
and all this time
everything I’ve dreamed of
has been right before my eyes

Words and Music by Randall Goodgame and Andrew Osenga
(c) 2007 House of Mirrors Music (ASCAP) admin. by Simpleville Music, Inc. / 2007 Mighty Molecule Music. (ASCAP) admin by Music Services