It has been ‎67 years since the ship my grandfather was being transported on, the HMT Rohna, was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea during WWII. 1015 US troops died, the greatest loss at sea in US history. He was one of the survivors and the following website has been set up to honor those who were involved in the tragedy.

http://www.rohnasurvivors.org/

Thanksgiving 2010

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Birthday

Today I am 34. Four years ago I turned 30 (and had a great surprise party) with no children and a not pregnant wife. This afternoon I will go home to celebrate my birthday with my love, Melissa Canney (who is with child) and our two daughters Addison and Emerson. Lord thank you for the blessings that come with age.

The Charts Don't Lie

Family Church

Each evening in the Canney household, we gather together on the couch to worship our Lord. It is usually sometime shortly after dinner but before the girls begin their evening play. We conduct our family worship time as a mini-church service. I begin by reading an introductory passage, such as Psalm 100 and then we sing the Doxology. This is followed by an opening prayer, reciting The Apostles' Creed and singing Gloria Patri. At the conclusion of this I begin to read the Bible. With two young daughters I have chosen to work my way through the Bible reading the 'big' stories to them. For example, in the recent weeks we have read through Creation with Adam and Eve, the Flood with Noah and we are currently working our way through the story of Abraham. I usually read one chapter a night from my New King Jame Version translation and we close our time with prayer. One important point about the Bible reading is that I am focused on my children learning the stories they hear. I want them to know the people and the places, the good guys and the bad guys, and who wins. The important distinction is that I do not try to relate or teach a moral with any of our Bible readings. The goal at this age (3 years and 1 year) is for them to learn the story of the Bible.

We have found this time to be a great blessing to our family. One added bonus is that some evenings my wife and I will stay seated on the couch as the girls crawl off. They begin to play, dance, sing and be silly while the four of us are all together in the Living Room. It is these small moments when I see the Mighty Hand of blessing on my family.

A Dollop of Peanut Butter

"Truth, goodness and beauty can be found in having breakfast with a three year old, each with Frosted Mini-Wheats and a dollop of peanut butter on the side of the bowl."

Psalm 100

¹Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.

²Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.

³Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

⁴Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

⁵For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations. (Psalm 100, King James Version)

Who's who?

Which one is Addy and which one is Emmy?

"She lights up my life when she says to me at night 'wouldn't ya like a little ice cream?'"

Danny & Annie from StoryCorps on Vimeo.

Bethel Prep Parent Information Night

The question before us tonight that I have been asked to speak on is, "Who is responsible for establishing and maintaining the spiritual theme of the academy? The theme is Romans 8: 37 “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who lived us.”

Thus, who is responsible? Well, if the theme is nothing more than a slogan, the school is clearly responsible. Bethel Prep needs to have a lot of pep rallies and spirit weeks to encourage and promote the slogan. But our theme is much more than a slogan. It is Scripture and it is true. We are more than conquerors. The responsibility, as Christians, lies within all of us. We all play a part in God’s kingdom and the advancement of it. My part tonight is to speak about how the staff will help to accomplish and be responsible for the theme.

How is it that we are more than conquers? The verse tells us, “through Him who loved us.” Him being Christ Jesus, our Savior. So, we are more than conquers because of Jesus Christ. It is His strength that makes us strong. It is His wisdom that makes us wise. We are nothing without Him. In order to be more than conquers we need to be like Him, imitators of Him, as Paul says in Eph. 5:1 “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.”

What makes children dearly loved? When they obey. So our job as Christian educators is help our students know God and to grow in their understanding and wisdom of God and His will. A great way to start is to begin with identifying what God loves and what God hates. Philippians 4:8 tells us,

⁸ Finally, brethren,

whatever things are true, whatever things are noble,

whatever things are just, whatever things are pure,

whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report,

if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—

meditate on these things.

We are told to focus on these things because they are what God loves. They reflect Him. Conversely,

Proverb 6:16 – 19 teaches us

¹⁶ These six things the LORD hates,
Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
¹⁷ A proud look,
A lying tongue,
Hands that shed innocent blood,
¹⁸ A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that are swift in running to evil,
¹⁹ A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who sows discord among brethren.

Learning and remembering Scripture verses such as these is perfect for our Grammar students as they grow in their knowledge of God and His Word. When students internalize these truths and examine the world around them, they can become “more than conquerors” because they begin to recognize the lies and the temptations that world has to offer. This is where our Dialectic and Rhetoric Schools build off the knowledge our students gained in the Grammar school. They can use their knowledge of God to begin to critic the world around them, whether it is books, movies, music, philosophy or culture. And then they can begin to conquer the culture that surrounds them through Christ who strengthens them. That is the goal of Bethel Prep, to form and mold students that God can use to advance His kingdom here on earth. Students who will change the culture, but will do so not with the weapons of the world, but rather as Paul says in II Corinthians 10:4-5, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, ⁵ casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,”

This is why the culture of each home and Church is important. The culture of the home and Church must be pleasing to the Lord. It must be a safe haven from the culture of the world. A place where young Christians can take refuge and seek wisdom as they grow in their wisdom and understanding. The home and the Church cannot be place that reflects the world’s desires. It must reflect, as we want our students to, what God loves and what He hates.

My final point is that in order to become “more than conquerors through Him who loved us”, we must serve Him. We must serve Jesus as Lord. And how do we do so? Not with the weapons of the world as Paul said, but rather as Jesus Himself said in Matthew 25:31 – 40, “³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. ³² All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. ³³ And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. ³⁴ Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: ³⁵ for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; ³⁶ I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? ³⁸ When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? ³⁹ Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ ⁴⁰ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.”

What we learn from these verses is that as we serve each other, we serve the Lord who in turns strengthens us. And as He strengthens us, we are enabled to become more than conquerors.

It is important to note that the school exists to serve Christian families. It is difficult for the school to train students to accomplish our theme if a family is not living out the theme in the home. However, when the family and the school are in harmony in trying to grow men and women who can impact the culture around them, then by God’s grace we can accomplish His will.

Again, the school will do its part this year to train our students to love what God loves, hate what God hates and look to serve each other as we serve the Lord. Thank you.

Born a Buckeye

The Creation of O H I O

Once upon a time in the Kingdom of Heaven , God was missing for six days. Eventually, Michael the archangel found him resting on the seventh day. He inquired of God, "Where have you been?"

God sighed a deep sigh of satisfaction and proudly pointed downwards through the clouds, "Michael, look what I've made."

Michael looked puzzled and said, "What is it?"

"It's a planet," replied God, "and I've put LIFE on it. I'm going to call it Earth and it's going to be a great place of balance."

"Balance???" inquired Michael, still confused.

God explained, pointing to different parts of earth, "For example, northern Europe will be a place of great opportunity and wealth while southern Europe is going to be poor; the Middle East will be a hot spot. Over here I've placed a continent of white people and over there is a continent of black people,"

God continued, pointing to different countries. "This one will be extremely hot and arid while this one will be very cold and covered in ice."

The Archangel , while impressed by God's work, pointed to some people standing around with their hands above their head, "What's up with that?"

"Ah," said God, "They are from Ohio , the most glorious place on earth. There are beautiful lakes, rivers, sunsets and rolling hills. The people from Ohio are modest, intelligent and humorous. They can be found traveling all around the world. They are sociable, hard working and high achieving. They will be known throughout the world as diplomats and carriers of peace and good will."

Michael gasped in wonder, but then proclaimed, "What about balance, God? You said there would be balance ?!?!?!?"

God replied wisely, "Wait until you see the idiots I'm putting in Michigan !!!!!!!

GO BUCKS !!!!!

Strider Day 14

Strider Ride One

The Fully Orbed Christian Life

My wife passed along to me an interesting article from the Wall Street Journal titled, "The Perils of Hipster Christianity". It is a good article about the attempts of the Christian Church to be cool. To be relevant. To be hip. I posted it on my Facebook and it drew some comments. I have been thinking about it a bit since, developing my thoughts.

This is has been a topic of discussion for me at various times with my students and friends. It is something I have spoke against for different reasons and I thought I would get some of those thoughts down...on here...the blog. So here we go.

One of the main points that 'Hipster Christianity' misses is the Christian life. The Scriptures teach and communicate a fully orbed Christian life. All members of the Body of Christ have their role and contribute to the Kingdom. Thus, the Bible teaches and has clear instructions for me on how to be a son, a husband, a father, a friend and an employee. The same is true for my wife, my children and my employer. However, modern 'Hip' Christianity does not present or teach much on these areas. Why? Because they are thought (by Christians) to be offensive and outdated to non-believers, especially the uber-cool 20 somethings that the 'Hipster Church' is trying to appeal to. Teachings such as the husband as the head of the household, the submission of wives, the obedience of children or employees are placed on the back self in order to not offend members or visitors. The full council of God becomes the censored and feel good council of humanity.

The problem is that people crave the fullness that the Scriptures teach. After all, God created man and then gave man a manual on how to live. It is safe to conclude then that He created Christians with desires that are fulfilled in the Bible. Nothing, save becoming Christians, has been more beneficial to my marriage than Melissa and I assuming the created order that is given to us in the Scriptures. Our union has flourished as I have assumed headship. It has given us order and direction. We did not find such instruction in the various 'Hipster Churches' that we have been a part of in the past. Those churches have long ago made nice with worldly lies such as feminism and have largely dismissed the teachings of the Bible.

The result of this for these churches is that members are left lacking. Their desires are not fulfilled. Order is not being brought to them and they are not finding things to be different in their church as they would find in the world. Often times the things(music, social atmosphere, etc) that they find in their church are nothing more than a cheap knock-off or imitation of what the world has to offer. Sooner or later on people realize that there is no reason to settle for the imitation when the real thing is waiting for them. Thus, out the church doors they tread.

Pray for pastors that would courageously preach the full council of God. In doing so, the Christian Church will flourish and grow because God's blessing will rest fully upon it.

To All Generations

Cheers

All Parents Shelter Their Children

My wife seemed to touch a little bit of a nerve with some folks when she posted the following on her Facebook page...

"it's amazing to me the efforts some will go to in order to "shelter" their children from the world (ie- investing loads of money into private education vs. government schools), but will not think twice about enrolling their young daughters in say, a dance class of sorts, which plays Hannah Montana music for warm up."

This is something her and I have talked about in the past, so I thought I would take a little time and break down some of what she means.

The first topic is 'shelter.' With most Christian folks, this is a hotly debated idea. To 'shelter' your child can draw horrified looks or approving nods. Most of the negative reaction comes from those who know of friends in high school or college that were painfully sheltered... embarrassingly sheltered. They are completely naive and vulnerable when they are outside the shelter.

The key point is all parents shelter their children. The question revolves around to what point. All parents make decisions on what and when to allow their children to be exposed to certain things. Some parents let their kids watch rated-R movies at age 8 and some do not even own a TV. But the point is, even the parent who allows the R movies, is going to draw the line somewhere. It might be far beyond where I draw the line even for myself, but the line is still there. The same goes for music, clothes, language, etc... Thus, when Melissa uses the word shelter, she means it in a very positive way.

Melissa and I definitely shelter our girls. We closely monitor what they watch, what they hear and what they are in general exposed to. We both firmly believe that the world is seductive and we do not want our children worshiping things which God hates. And here lies another key point. Our sheltering now consists of us making decisions as to what the girls have access to. However, as they age a key learning point is teaching them to "love what God loves, and hate what God hates." This type of Christian parenting does not take a monk approach. It does not consist of hiding things from children thinking that if they never see it, they will not be tempted by it. Rather, this type of parenting deals with things head on...when the child is at age when she can begin make judgments and see things for what they are.

Melissa makes a good point in her Facebook post that some parents are dedicated to raising their Christian children the right way. They are aware of the messages that their children are getting hit with and they are doing something about it. But then, like a sneak attack, in through the back door comes "Hannah Montana" eroding away a foundation that the parents have worked hard to lay. Her general point and encouragement to all parents is, "Never let your guard down."

The additional thing that I have pondered is that I wonder how many parents are upset that they let their young daughters become Hannah Montana fans only to look on in horror at how Miley Cyrus is currently portraying and selling herself?

All it Takes is Toothpaste

As every parent knows, there are high times and low times in dealing with children. Our hope and prayer is that the high times far out weigh the low times, but the unfortunate thing is that those incidents that we would love to soon forget seem to stay with us for years. This post is here to record and capture one of those small moments of joy.

The loveliness of having an almost three year old in our home is that it does not take much to bring out the utter joy that lies within her. My wife calls it "Chocolate Milk Joy." As we age it gets harder and harder to impress us, but when we are young all it takes is toothpaste.

For the past year or two Addison has been using children's toothpaste that is safe to swallow. It recently ran out. Melissa and Addison headed off to Target today to pick up diapers for Emerson and some toothpaste for Addy. A little while later she came bounding in the door full of excitement ready to show me her new toothpaste and toothbrush. It was 'big girl' toothpaste that she picked out and an assortment of four toothbrushes. She had to immediately brush her teeth as Melissa prepared lunch.

A little while later, she asked to brush again. I was amused and thus obliged. She climbed up her steps to the sink and grabbed her toothbrush. I retrieved her 'big girl' toothpaste from the cabinet and set it on the sink but I needed to quickly attend to Emerson who was getting herself into a bit of 14 month old trouble. By the time I returned to the bathroom (15 seconds tops) Addison was already busy brushing her teeth with more toothpaste than I use in a week. I tried my best to displace some of excess toothpaste that was on her toothbrush and face, ignoring for the time the huge blob that was half way down the sink. Thinking that things were under control, I attended to Emerson for another moment. But in doing so it immediately ran through my mind what a normal almost three year old would do if a big blob of yummy toothpaste was staring up out of the sink. Sure enough, Addison was still busy brushing, but the blob was noticeably smaller.

Experiences such as these are common for parents of young children. They bring Melissa and I much joy and my only fear is forgetting them as the girls age.

Six Years

In the last six years, Melissa and I have...

• got married
• moved to North Carolina
• honeymooned in St Thomas
• taught at a year round elementary school
• moved to New Jersey
• lived at the Jersey Shore for two months
• helped start Bethel Prep, a classical and Christian school
• bought a house
• had our first daughter
• had our second daughter
• got pregnant with our third daughter
• become Reformed Christians

It has been an amazing ride and these are only the highlights. God has abundantly blessed us and we are thankful. Above all, I am thankful for a beautiful bride who becomes more beautiful with each passing year and who has been willing to become a main character in the story of my life.

S.T.U.P.I.D. L.I.E.S.

Many a folk with a theological bend to them will be familiar with TULIP, the five points of Calvinism. Well come to find out, according to one of my students, I too have an acronym that nicely sums up 'my' theology. I guess it can be affectionately called the ten points of Canneyism. Again those familiar with the reformer John Calvin will know that the five points were not derived by Calvin himself, but rather those opposed to him. I will let the reader decide if my student was opposed to what he thought summed up my Biblical teachings.

S - service appropriateness

T - total depravity

U - unconditional election

P - perseverance of the saints

I - irresistible grace

D - downstream decision making

L - limited atonement

I - irrefutable logic

E - everyone unloved

S - submission servitude