Beth keeps telling people that Abbey favors me in the looks department.

I keep saying, whatever features of mine Abbey may have, that I am just glad she got her mama’s “pretty”.

But I also think Abbey’s features are more Beth than Beth realizes.

What do you think?

Abbey was recently introduced to a new toy and a new band.

The band?

Death Cab for Cutie, with all its literate angst and Northwestern coolness.

The toy?

You’ll see:

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You know what that means, don’t you?

Abbey has updated her Christmas list.

To her first draft of shiny paper, bright-colored ribbon, cardboard boxes, and cuddly diapers, we now add … an iPhone.

Let the madness begin.

Here are a few videos taken around the Wilson house lately:

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In this one, we catch some fun faces from Abbey right after she woke up from a heavy nap:

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Abbey looks like she is about to explode out of her 6-9 month pajama onesie, and she has fun doing so:

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A little longer, but if you ever wondered what a 9 month old thinks about when they are listening to you talk, if they hear words or just noises, this may shed a little light (but let’s hope this is not accurate):

I am not sure which I find to be more unnerving about my (otherwise) outstanding relationship with Netflix – that

(1) Netflix has figured out exactly what kind of movies I most enjoy and defined me with phrases such as “Dark Military Documentaries”, “Goofy Foreign Comedies”, “Gritty Crime Movies based on real life”, “Romantic Movies starring Cary Grant”, and “Cerebral Independent Comedies”?

or

(2) that my town’s “local favorites” are as follows?

Its a tough call – can anybody help me out here?

I had a chat with a good friend tonight – she told me about her two Somali friends who were assaulted by other Somali refugees.

A Somali woman tends to her seven year-old son who was wounded by a stray bullet on May 24, 2009 as they sit inside a medical tent that was set up by Ugandan soldiers at one of their bases in Mogadishu, Somalia. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images)

She told me about her roommate who spends her days driving up and down the tracks picking up prostitutes and ministering to them.

She told me she lives in an apartment of 5 girls, in a bad part of town, that all do the same kinds of ministries.

She told me about a Somali woman who told her she was going to hell for believing the things she does about Jesus … right before she told her “I promise I will listen to you next time.”

My friend, she had to raise her own support to do this ministry … to live in a dangerous area … to love on the least of these, the aliens, the sojourners … to make the gospel known to them.

She doesn’t get a pay check – she gets to watch her savings account dwindle and, when it’s all gone, she has to find something else to do.

Are you kidding me?

As I drove home from the party where I got to spend time with my friend, I had about 25 thoughts – most of which were hypercritical and not worth repeating.  What my mind came back to time and time again as I drove was the word “bloated”.

Bloated Christians. Bloated Churches. Bloated Institutions.

Bloated and slowly dying from self-inflicted gluttony.

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Can we just agree that we live in an upside down world?

Can we just agree to listen to Jesus, to obey him, and to be a part of his work in flipping this world back right-side-up?

Can we just agree to stop gorging ourselves?

Can somebody just fork up some cash and set my friend free to do crazy gospel-driven ministry to the refugees of Memphis, TN?

Can we just agree that its not supposed to be this way – not for God’s people?

Well, can we?

Is that you???

I will answer this once and for all.

No!

The girl in the middle is not me, though we do share a striking resemblence.

Is this a rite of passage for a new dad?

This afternoon we fed Abbey turkey for the first time.

Her response?

An instant Wilson home video-clip classic:

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What childhood foods did you absolutely hate? did your kids absolutely hate? did Lee and Beth absolutely hate when we were babies (this question is for you moms of mine)?

Andrew Peterson is known in Christian circles for his incredible album “Behold the Lamb of God” (which is certain to be featured on the blog this upcoming Christmas).

One of Peterson’s songs is cleverly/cheesily (your call) titled “Serve Hymn”.

It is a really good song and a modified version has become a staple of corporate worship at our church – City Fellowship Church here in Jackson.

Perhaps I will say more about this song in the future, but for now I would just like to share a clip of an up-and-coming young married couple doing their own version of the song’s chorus.

Be warned, this may leave you speechless:

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I think they could have a future in the business, but it seems likely that they will quickly return to obscurity with the passing of this fine young lady’s laryngitis.