The Church’s One Foundation
By Samuel J. Stone
The Church’s one foundation
Is Jesus Christ, her Lord;
She is his new creation
By water and the Word.
From heaven he came and sought her
To be his holy bride;
With his own blood he bought her,
And for her life he died.
Elect from every nation,
Yet one over all the earth;
Her charter of salvation:
One Lord, one faith, one birth.
One holy name she blesses,
Partakes one holy food,
And to one hope she presses
With every grace endued.
Through toil and tribulation
And tumult of her war
She waits the consummation
Of peace forevermore
Till with the vision glorious
Her longing eyes are blest,
And the great Church victorious
Shall be the Church at rest.
Yet she on earth has union
With God, the Three in One,
And mystic sweet communion
With those whose rest is won.
O blessed heavenly chorus!
Lord, save us by your grace
That we, like saints before us,
May see you face to face.
Hymn # 289 from Lutheran Worship
Author: Samuel S. Wesley
Tune: Aurelia1st
Published in: 1866
Friday, October 28, 2005
Quotes and word of the day.
Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims
may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber
barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty
may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those
who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do
so with the approval of their own conscience. C. S. Lewis
tyr·an·ny ( P ) Pronunciation Key (tr-n)n. pl. tyr·an·nies
A government in which a single ruler is vested with absolute power.
The office, authority, or jurisdiction of an absolute ruler.
Absolute power, especially when exercised unjustly or cruelly:
I have sworn... eternal hostility against every form of tyranny
over the mind of man (Thomas Jefferson).
Use of absolute power.
A tyrannical act.
Extreme harshness or severity; rigor.
[Middle English tyrannie, from Old French, from Late Latin tyrannia,
from Greek turanni, from turannos, tyrant.]
I have always enjoyed C.S. Lewis and when my Mother sent this
to me I knew I needed to post it.
I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that
life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy. -
Rabindranath Tagore, philosopher, author, songwriter, painter,
educator, composer, Nobellaureate (1861-1941)
Well said! We will find joy in our lives when we are doing the work we have been given.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WORD OF THE DAY
parrhesia (puh-REEZ-i-uh)
noun 1. Boldness of speech. 2. The practice of asking forgiveness before
speaking in this manner.
[From New Latin, from Greek, from para- (beyond) + rhesis (speech).] From political leaders to business heads, very few like to face the truth. Some claim to want candor but follow the dictum of filmmaker Samuel Goldwyn who said, "I want everybody to tell me the truth, even if it costs them their jobs." If you're not entirely sure about your boss, we recommend starting with parrhesia (sense 2), before giving in to parrhesia (sense 1)
:) I like this word. I do not exhibit it as well as I ought , but I still think it a fascinating word.
The power to command frequently causes failure to think. -Barbara Tuchman,author and historian (1912-1989)
Hmmm. :)
Monday, October 24, 2005
Luke 24:38
"Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?"
"Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God?" The Lord cares for all things, and the meanest creatures share in His universal providence, but His particular providence is over His saints. "The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him." "Precious shall their blood be in His sight." "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints." "We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are the called according to His purpose." Let the fact that, while He is the Saviour of all men, He is specially the Saviour of them that believe, cheer and comfort you. You are His peculiar care; His regal treasure which He guards as the apple of His eye; His vineyard over which He watches day and night. "The very hairs of your head are all numbered." Let the thought of His special love to you be a spiritual pain-killer, a dear quietus to your woe: "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." God says that as much to you as to any saint of old. "Fear not, I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward." We lose much consolation by the habit of reading His promises for the whole church, instead of taking them directly home to ourselves. Believer, grasp the divine word with a personal, appropriating faith. Think that you hear Jesus say, "I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not." Think you see Him walking on the waters of thy trouble, for He is there, and He is saying, "Fear not, it is I; be not afraid." Oh, those sweet words of Christ! May the Holy Ghost make you feel them as spoken to you; forget others for awhile--accept the voice of Jesus as addressed to you, and say, "Jesus whispers consolation; I cannot refuse it; I will sit under His shadow with great delight."
—Morning and Evening
Those are beautiful thoughts. He has promised to be with us, to never leave us, no matter what we feel is going on. He has called us to Him.
"Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God?" The Lord cares for all things, and the meanest creatures share in His universal providence, but His particular providence is over His saints. "The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him." "Precious shall their blood be in His sight." "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints." "We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are the called according to His purpose." Let the fact that, while He is the Saviour of all men, He is specially the Saviour of them that believe, cheer and comfort you. You are His peculiar care; His regal treasure which He guards as the apple of His eye; His vineyard over which He watches day and night. "The very hairs of your head are all numbered." Let the thought of His special love to you be a spiritual pain-killer, a dear quietus to your woe: "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." God says that as much to you as to any saint of old. "Fear not, I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward." We lose much consolation by the habit of reading His promises for the whole church, instead of taking them directly home to ourselves. Believer, grasp the divine word with a personal, appropriating faith. Think that you hear Jesus say, "I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not." Think you see Him walking on the waters of thy trouble, for He is there, and He is saying, "Fear not, it is I; be not afraid." Oh, those sweet words of Christ! May the Holy Ghost make you feel them as spoken to you; forget others for awhile--accept the voice of Jesus as addressed to you, and say, "Jesus whispers consolation; I cannot refuse it; I will sit under His shadow with great delight."
—Morning and Evening
Those are beautiful thoughts. He has promised to be with us, to never leave us, no matter what we feel is going on. He has called us to Him.
Fun Poems
The Embarrassing Episode of Little Miss Muffet
by Guy Wetmore Carryl
Little Mis Muffet discovered a tuffet,
( Which never occurred to the rest of us)
And, as 'twas a June day, and just about noonday,
She wanted to eat- like the best of us:
Her diet was whey, and I hasten to say
It is wholesome and people grow fat on it.
The spot being lonely, the lady not only
Discovered the tuffet, but sat on it!
A rivulet gabbled beside her and babbled,
As rivulets always are thought to do,
And dragon flies sported around and cavorted,
As poets say dragon flies ought to do;
When glancing aside for a moment , she spied
A horrible sight that brought fear to her,
A hideous spider was sitting beside her,
And most unavoidably near to her!
Albeit unsightly, this creature politely
Said: " Madam, I earnestly vow to you,
I'm penitent that I did not bring my hat. I
Should otherwise certainly bow to you."
Though anxious to please, he was so ill at ease
That he lost all his sense of propriety,
And grew so inept that he clumsily stept
In her plate!- which is barred in Society!
This curious error completed her terror!;
She shuddered, and growing much paler, not
Only left tuffet, but dealt him a buffet
Which doubled him up in a sailor knot.
It should be explained that at this he was pained:
He cried: ' I have vexed you no doubt of it!
Your fist's like a truncheon." "YOU"RE still in my luncheon!"
Was all that she answered! " Get out of it!"
And the MORAL is this: Be it madam or miss
To whom you have something to say,
Your are only absurd when you get in the curd
But you're rude when you get in the whey!
A Young Lady named Bright
by Edward Lear
There was a young lady named Bright,
Who traveled much faster than light.
She started one day,
In the relative way,
And returned on the previous night.
I thought these were amusing and realized that I had not posted them on my blog yet, so here you go. Once again these are so much better if you read them out loud. :)
by Guy Wetmore Carryl
Little Mis Muffet discovered a tuffet,
( Which never occurred to the rest of us)
And, as 'twas a June day, and just about noonday,
She wanted to eat- like the best of us:
Her diet was whey, and I hasten to say
It is wholesome and people grow fat on it.
The spot being lonely, the lady not only
Discovered the tuffet, but sat on it!
A rivulet gabbled beside her and babbled,
As rivulets always are thought to do,
And dragon flies sported around and cavorted,
As poets say dragon flies ought to do;
When glancing aside for a moment , she spied
A horrible sight that brought fear to her,
A hideous spider was sitting beside her,
And most unavoidably near to her!
Albeit unsightly, this creature politely
Said: " Madam, I earnestly vow to you,
I'm penitent that I did not bring my hat. I
Should otherwise certainly bow to you."
Though anxious to please, he was so ill at ease
That he lost all his sense of propriety,
And grew so inept that he clumsily stept
In her plate!- which is barred in Society!
This curious error completed her terror!;
She shuddered, and growing much paler, not
Only left tuffet, but dealt him a buffet
Which doubled him up in a sailor knot.
It should be explained that at this he was pained:
He cried: ' I have vexed you no doubt of it!
Your fist's like a truncheon." "YOU"RE still in my luncheon!"
Was all that she answered! " Get out of it!"
And the MORAL is this: Be it madam or miss
To whom you have something to say,
Your are only absurd when you get in the curd
But you're rude when you get in the whey!
A Young Lady named Bright
by Edward Lear
There was a young lady named Bright,
Who traveled much faster than light.
She started one day,
In the relative way,
And returned on the previous night.
I thought these were amusing and realized that I had not posted them on my blog yet, so here you go. Once again these are so much better if you read them out loud. :)
Friday, October 21, 2005
2Corinthians 5:14
"The love of Christ constraineth us."
How much owest thou unto my Lord? Has He ever done anything for thee? Has He forgiven thy sins? Has He covered thee with a robe of righteousness? Has He set thy feet upon a rock? Has He established thy goings? Has He prepared heaven for thee? Has He prepared thee for heaven? Has He written thy name in His book of life? Has He given thee countless blessings? Has He laid up for thee a store of mercies, which eye hath not seen nor ear heard? Then do something for Jesus worthy of His love. Give not a mere wordy offering to a dying Redeemer. How will you feel when your Master comes, if you have to confess that you did nothing for Him, but kept your love shut up, like a stagnant pool, neither flowing forth to His poor or to His work. Out on such love as that! What do men think of a love which never shows itself in action? Why, they say, "Open rebuke is better than secret love." Who will accept a love so weak that it does not actuate you to a single deed of self-denial, of generosity, of heroism, or zeal! Think how He has loved you, and given Himself for you! Do you know the power of that love? Then let it be like a rushing mighty wind to your soul to sweep out the clouds of your worldliness, and clear away the mists of sin. "For Christ's sake" be this the tongue of fire that shall sit upon you: "for Christ's sake" be this the divine rapture, the heavenly afflatus to bear you aloft from earth, the divine spirit that shall make you bold as lions and swift as eagles in your Lord's service. Love should give wings to the feet of service, and strength to the arms of labour. Fixed on God with a constancy that is not to be shaken, resolute to honour Him with a determination that is not to be turned aside, and pressing on with an ardour never to be wearied, let us manifest the constraints of love to Jesus. May the divine loadstone draw us heavenward towards itself.
Morning and Evening---
Love should give wings to the feet of service, and strength to the arms of labour. I really like that. Love. My mother studied the love chapter this last year and she shared some of the things that she learned. I can not help but think about that chapter now, especially the part about being longsuffering, patient, and humble. When we serve we do it with those characteristics.
How much owest thou unto my Lord? Has He ever done anything for thee? Has He forgiven thy sins? Has He covered thee with a robe of righteousness? Has He set thy feet upon a rock? Has He established thy goings? Has He prepared heaven for thee? Has He prepared thee for heaven? Has He written thy name in His book of life? Has He given thee countless blessings? Has He laid up for thee a store of mercies, which eye hath not seen nor ear heard? Then do something for Jesus worthy of His love. Give not a mere wordy offering to a dying Redeemer. How will you feel when your Master comes, if you have to confess that you did nothing for Him, but kept your love shut up, like a stagnant pool, neither flowing forth to His poor or to His work. Out on such love as that! What do men think of a love which never shows itself in action? Why, they say, "Open rebuke is better than secret love." Who will accept a love so weak that it does not actuate you to a single deed of self-denial, of generosity, of heroism, or zeal! Think how He has loved you, and given Himself for you! Do you know the power of that love? Then let it be like a rushing mighty wind to your soul to sweep out the clouds of your worldliness, and clear away the mists of sin. "For Christ's sake" be this the tongue of fire that shall sit upon you: "for Christ's sake" be this the divine rapture, the heavenly afflatus to bear you aloft from earth, the divine spirit that shall make you bold as lions and swift as eagles in your Lord's service. Love should give wings to the feet of service, and strength to the arms of labour. Fixed on God with a constancy that is not to be shaken, resolute to honour Him with a determination that is not to be turned aside, and pressing on with an ardour never to be wearied, let us manifest the constraints of love to Jesus. May the divine loadstone draw us heavenward towards itself.
Morning and Evening---
Love should give wings to the feet of service, and strength to the arms of labour. I really like that. Love. My mother studied the love chapter this last year and she shared some of the things that she learned. I can not help but think about that chapter now, especially the part about being longsuffering, patient, and humble. When we serve we do it with those characteristics.
Job 35:10
Any man can sing in the day. When the cup is full, man draws inspiration from it. When wealth rolls in abundance around him, any man can praise the God who gives a plenteous harvest or sends home a loaded argosy. It is easy enough for an Aeolian harp to whisper music when the winds blow--the difficulty is for music to swell forth when no wind is stirring. It is easy to sing when we can read the notes by daylight; but he is skilful who sings when there is not a ray of light to read by--who sings from his heart. No man can make a song in the night of himself; he may attempt it, but he will find that a song in the night must be divinely inspired. Let all things go well, I can weave songs, fashioning them wherever I go out of the flowers that grow upon my path; but put me in a desert, where no green thing grows, and wherewith shall I frame a hymn of praise to God? How shall a mortal man make a crown for the Lord where no jewels are? Let but this voice be clear, and this body full of health, and I can sing God's praise: silence my tongue, lay me upon the bed of languishing, and how shall I then chant God's high praises, unless He Himself give me the song? No, it is not in man's power to sing when all is adverse, unless an altar-coal shall touch his lip. It was a divine song, which Habakkuk sang, when in the night he said, "Although the fig-tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation." Then, since our Maker gives songs in the night, let us wait upon Him for the music. O Thou chief musician, let us not remain songless because affliction is upon us, but tune Thou our lips to the melody of thanksgiving. —Morning and Evening
I read this yesterday morning, and was very convicted and challenged. Later that day I was talking to someone about what I had read, and how that we need to be able to praise the Lord in the good and bad, ( this person has been thinking a lot about this as well). On top of that, when the preacher stood up after one of the hymns he asked a question: Have you been happy all the day. He then went on to say that being happy all the day is not hahaha.... happy, but finding joy in every instance. After what I had already talked about with my friend and read that morning, I had to smile. The Lord knows how to get a point across.
James 1:2 Count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations..
I read this yesterday morning, and was very convicted and challenged. Later that day I was talking to someone about what I had read, and how that we need to be able to praise the Lord in the good and bad, ( this person has been thinking a lot about this as well). On top of that, when the preacher stood up after one of the hymns he asked a question: Have you been happy all the day. He then went on to say that being happy all the day is not hahaha.... happy, but finding joy in every instance. After what I had already talked about with my friend and read that morning, I had to smile. The Lord knows how to get a point across.
James 1:2 Count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations..
1Corinthians 3:1
Are you mourning, believer, because you are so weak in the divine life: because your faith is so little, your love so feeble? Cheer up, for you have cause for gratitude. Remember that in some things you are equal to the greatest and most full-grown Christian. You are as much bought with blood as he is. You are as much an adopted child of God as any other believer. An infant is as truly a child of its parents as is the full-grown man. You are as completely justified, for your justification is not a thing of degrees: your little faith has made you clean every whit. You have as much right to the precious things of the covenant as the most advanced believers, for your right to covenant mercies lies not in your growth, but in the covenant itself; and your faith in Jesus is not the measure, but the token of your inheritance in Him. You are as rich as the richest, if not in enjoyment, yet in real possession. The smallest star that gleams is set in heaven; the faintest ray of light has affinity with the great orb of day. In the family register of glory the small and the great are written with the same pen. You are as dear to your Father's heart as the greatest in the family. Jesus is very tender over you. You are like the smoking flax; a rougher spirit would say, "put out that smoking flax, it fills the room with an offensive odour!" but the smoking flax He will not quench. You are like a bruised reed; and any less tender hand than that of the Chief Musician would tread upon you or throw you away, but He will never break the bruised reed. Instead of being downcast by reason of what you are, you should triumph in Christ. Am I but little in Israel? Yet in Christ I am made to sit in heavenly places. Am I poor in faith? Still in Jesus I am heir of all things. Though "less than nothing I can boast, and vanity confess." yet, if the root of the matter be in me I will rejoice in the Lord, and glory in the God of my salvation
I was at a meeting last night and a young man stood up and spoke on the parable of the talents to the 3 servants. He brought out the fact that none of the servants were better than the other when the Master gave the talents to them. He did not expect the servant with 2 talents to give back 10, or the servant with 5 to give back 20. He wanted each of them to do what he could with what he had. The young man that was preaching brought up a good point, we should not be discouraged by what we can not do, but we should strive to do our best with what the Father has given us, so when He comes back we can stand before Him with a gift to offer. When I read this it made me think about what the young man had said, especially the first part & the very end.
I was at a meeting last night and a young man stood up and spoke on the parable of the talents to the 3 servants. He brought out the fact that none of the servants were better than the other when the Master gave the talents to them. He did not expect the servant with 2 talents to give back 10, or the servant with 5 to give back 20. He wanted each of them to do what he could with what he had. The young man that was preaching brought up a good point, we should not be discouraged by what we can not do, but we should strive to do our best with what the Father has given us, so when He comes back we can stand before Him with a gift to offer. When I read this it made me think about what the young man had said, especially the first part & the very end.
Thursday, October 20, 2005
Universal Thump.
Title: The Universal Thump
Author: Elisabeth Elliot
It's so refreshing to find some encouragement to work and to be cheerful and take orders, instead of what is more common today, an outright dislike, even hatred, of work and an unwillingness to take orders from anybody. We've really had just about enough of that, don't you think? So here's an antidote in the musings of a sailor in Herman Melville's great classic, MOBY DICK:
"What of it if some old hunk of a sea-captain orders me to get a broom and sweep down the decks? What does that indignity amount to, weigh, I mean, in the scales of the New Testament? Do you think the archangel Gabriel thinks anything the less of me because I promptly and respectfully obey that old hunk in that particular instance? Who ain't a slave? Tell me that. Well, then, however the old sea-captains may order me about, I have the satisfaction of knowing that it is all right; that everybody else is one way or other served in much the same way--either in a physical or metaphysical point of view, that is; and so the universal thump is passed round, and all hands should rub each other's shoulder-blades, and be content." Most of us are not exactly under the orders of "some old hunk of a sea-captain," but we are meant to be willing and cheerful servants of anybody who happens to need us. Have I a true servant-heart? I should have. I will not be anything like my Lord Jesus if I haven't, for He came not to be served but to serve. He set for us a radiant example of how practically He meant it. He washed feet. Knowing His own origin and destiny, He did it with grace and He did it with love. And what is our origin? Our destiny? We, too, "come from God and are going back to God." Is there any job, then, that is really "beneath us?" Any "thump" that we really mind? "You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love" (Galatians 5:13, NIV). Last summer a certain fifteen-year-old worked at a ranch, where his job included not only dishwashing but cleaning out the garbage truck. They weren't jobs he'd have opted for (he'd far rather have exercised horses or even mucked out stables), so I gave him "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving" (Colossians 3:23-24, NIV). He wrote me a sweet letter, said God was helping him. Twenty-One Things to Remember
1. Faith is the ability to not panic.
2. If you worry, you didn’t pray. If you pray, don’t worry.
3. As a child of God, prayer is kind of like calling home every day.
4. Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.
5. When we get tangled up in our problems, be still. God wants us to bestill so He can untangle the knot.
6. Do the math. Count your blessings.
7. God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts.
8. Dear God: I have a problem. It’s me.
9. Silence is often misinterpreted, but never misquoted.
10. Laugh every day; it’s like inner jogging. :)
11. The most important things in your home are the people. (Lord help me remember this one...)
12. Growing old is inevitable, growing up is optional.
13. There is no key to happiness. The door is always open. Come on in.
14. A grudge is a heavy thing to carry.
15. He who dies with the most toys is still dead.
16. We do not remember days, but moments. Life moves too fast, so enjoy your precious moments.
17. Nothing is real to you until you experience it, otherwise its just hearsay.
18. It’s all right to sit on your pity pot every now and again. Just be sure to flush when you are done.
19. Surviving and living your life successfully require courage. The goals and dreams you’re seeking require courage and risk taking. Learn from the turtle, it only makes progress when it sticks out its neck.
20. Be more concerned with your character than your reputation. Your character is what you really are, while you reputation is merely what others think you are.
21. No matter the storm, when you are with God, there’s always a rainbow waiting.
Ouch, these are very convicting. I am always impressed with Elizabeth Elliot's writings and thoughts. She has a way of convicting with out being harsh, but she is firm. This list is wonderful, there is so much here that will keep me busy for a very long time.
Author: Elisabeth Elliot
It's so refreshing to find some encouragement to work and to be cheerful and take orders, instead of what is more common today, an outright dislike, even hatred, of work and an unwillingness to take orders from anybody. We've really had just about enough of that, don't you think? So here's an antidote in the musings of a sailor in Herman Melville's great classic, MOBY DICK:
"What of it if some old hunk of a sea-captain orders me to get a broom and sweep down the decks? What does that indignity amount to, weigh, I mean, in the scales of the New Testament? Do you think the archangel Gabriel thinks anything the less of me because I promptly and respectfully obey that old hunk in that particular instance? Who ain't a slave? Tell me that. Well, then, however the old sea-captains may order me about, I have the satisfaction of knowing that it is all right; that everybody else is one way or other served in much the same way--either in a physical or metaphysical point of view, that is; and so the universal thump is passed round, and all hands should rub each other's shoulder-blades, and be content." Most of us are not exactly under the orders of "some old hunk of a sea-captain," but we are meant to be willing and cheerful servants of anybody who happens to need us. Have I a true servant-heart? I should have. I will not be anything like my Lord Jesus if I haven't, for He came not to be served but to serve. He set for us a radiant example of how practically He meant it. He washed feet. Knowing His own origin and destiny, He did it with grace and He did it with love. And what is our origin? Our destiny? We, too, "come from God and are going back to God." Is there any job, then, that is really "beneath us?" Any "thump" that we really mind? "You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love" (Galatians 5:13, NIV). Last summer a certain fifteen-year-old worked at a ranch, where his job included not only dishwashing but cleaning out the garbage truck. They weren't jobs he'd have opted for (he'd far rather have exercised horses or even mucked out stables), so I gave him "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving" (Colossians 3:23-24, NIV). He wrote me a sweet letter, said God was helping him. Twenty-One Things to Remember
1. Faith is the ability to not panic.
2. If you worry, you didn’t pray. If you pray, don’t worry.
3. As a child of God, prayer is kind of like calling home every day.
4. Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.
5. When we get tangled up in our problems, be still. God wants us to bestill so He can untangle the knot.
6. Do the math. Count your blessings.
7. God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts.
8. Dear God: I have a problem. It’s me.
9. Silence is often misinterpreted, but never misquoted.
10. Laugh every day; it’s like inner jogging. :)
11. The most important things in your home are the people. (Lord help me remember this one...)
12. Growing old is inevitable, growing up is optional.
13. There is no key to happiness. The door is always open. Come on in.
14. A grudge is a heavy thing to carry.
15. He who dies with the most toys is still dead.
16. We do not remember days, but moments. Life moves too fast, so enjoy your precious moments.
17. Nothing is real to you until you experience it, otherwise its just hearsay.
18. It’s all right to sit on your pity pot every now and again. Just be sure to flush when you are done.
19. Surviving and living your life successfully require courage. The goals and dreams you’re seeking require courage and risk taking. Learn from the turtle, it only makes progress when it sticks out its neck.
20. Be more concerned with your character than your reputation. Your character is what you really are, while you reputation is merely what others think you are.
21. No matter the storm, when you are with God, there’s always a rainbow waiting.
Ouch, these are very convicting. I am always impressed with Elizabeth Elliot's writings and thoughts. She has a way of convicting with out being harsh, but she is firm. This list is wonderful, there is so much here that will keep me busy for a very long time.
Barn Dance
These last 2 weeks I have spent making a old fashion dress. I am very pleased by how it turned out, but I also am glad that I am not planning on doing that again. I loath sewing... I can sew, and I do an okay job, but I become very tense and irritated when sewing. :) Oh well! Anyway, the dress turned out nicely, it is cream and blue, with large sleeves and lace framing in the middle area and collar. It looks renaissance. I love it!
On Saturday (the day of the dance), 30 minutes before we were supposed to be at the dance, I finished the hem of the dress. LOL, I know, I should have had it done long before that, but I didn't. :) My mother and sister made one as well and they all turned out beautiful. My Mother's is burgundy and black, which look fabulous on her. My sister's is a dark green with a lighter green to accent it. She also looked perfectly darling. When we got to the house were the dance was being held, I did a few girls hair and we all headed out. It was a large group, and they were all milling about visiting one another and saying their hellos. We all ate and examined each others dresses. I was very impressed, all the girls did a gorgeous job. A few of the men had outfits as well and they were fun. There were confederate, and union soldiers, gentleman's and cowboy outfits.
The Barn Dance was held outside, most of the dances are done in groups of 6 - 8 couples, facing each other in long lines, or in a square shape. Once the caller (the man that tells you what to do next) calls the beginning of the dance, the young men pick a young lady to dance with (if they haven't already done that), and you get in you lines or squares. It is fun to get to talk to your partner before, after and during the dance, also those dancing in your group. In most barn dances you end up dancing with everyone in your group of the opposite gender, so it is nice if you know the people in your group, even if it is only their names. :) The rules for the young men and women in this group are great. The young men have to come ask for the dance. They take you out to the floor, either offering you their arm, or hand, dance with you. Then most offered to get you something to drink after you were done. They were all so gentlemanly, and they made the evening quite nice. The men could only ask a young lady to dance twice, so we all got to enjoy a lot of different dancers and personalities. The dancing was wonderful, pure bliss. The weather was a little bit cold and if we stood still too long, it got rather chilly. Once we started dancing though we warmed up. I was able to dance with a few people that I had never danced with before and that was enjoyable and educational. Some of the more experienced dancers could tell you how to do things a bit more smoothly, or just how to enjoy it more. :) It was terrific! My father and I danced one dance and it was special to get to dance with him. He ended up calling the dance, even though this was only the second dance he had been to, and I might add He did it very well... My little brother also danced with me and did an excellent job. He got into the dance after a few minutes and could to an extent keep up. He was darling. For those of you that do not realize how cute this was let me expound a little. My little brother is only 7 years old, and usually will not do anything like this. So I was very pleased that he asked me and then danced with a few others as well.
I was able to witness something I do not think many in my age group have the privilege to see. This night of barn dancing was a family evening, so there were children of all ages dancing with the adults. I saw "little men ask their mother's, sister's and other ladies to dance, then these little men become little men, taking your hand in theirs, escorting you here and there, offering you a drink and being the very essence of a gentlemen. I saw men slow down a dance for littler ones, or go ask the little girls to dance. Quite often we would be dancing in a group and there would be a little girl in the group with us. It was amazing to watch the young men instruct the little one as to where to go next and smile at the little mishaps that are bound to happen. It was precious to see one of the fathers take a little lady in pink frills, crinoline, and bows on to the floor, spin her around and watch her giggle in delight. Absolutely beautiful! I saw young men that did not have a partner take little ones to the side and show them the time of their lives. :) I saw Charity. One thing that my Mother and I just loved, was when one of the Fathers took the little one mentioned above in the pink frills out on the floor (to the side), and when the caller said swing your partner, he would lift her up and spin her around till she laughed her little girls laugh. It was so sweet.
It was an excellent evening. I have to admit that getting to be waited on, and feel beautiful, is marvelous. :) The dressed are so full and you feel as if you are floating when you are spinning in them. We finished a little after midnight and our family fell into our beds. :) Surprisingly I am not sore from the dancing. I am more sore from Sunday's activities, a group of us played Volley ball and I my cheekbone connected with the volley ball once, leaving me feeling a little bit dizzy every once in a while. Oh well, it was fun. I served a bunch of points the last game and even got the winning point.
It is hard to believe it is all over now and that we will not be getting to go to another dance for about 6 months. (Sigh) It will be fun to do it all again. :)
Here are a few links to explain barn dances.
http://www.fiddlingaround.co.uk/quicksilver/bardancefaq
http://www.dcdancenet.com/moredancing/contraecd.html
http://www.englishcountrydancing.org/
http://members.aol.com/ParadiseMO/english.html
On Saturday (the day of the dance), 30 minutes before we were supposed to be at the dance, I finished the hem of the dress. LOL, I know, I should have had it done long before that, but I didn't. :) My mother and sister made one as well and they all turned out beautiful. My Mother's is burgundy and black, which look fabulous on her. My sister's is a dark green with a lighter green to accent it. She also looked perfectly darling. When we got to the house were the dance was being held, I did a few girls hair and we all headed out. It was a large group, and they were all milling about visiting one another and saying their hellos. We all ate and examined each others dresses. I was very impressed, all the girls did a gorgeous job. A few of the men had outfits as well and they were fun. There were confederate, and union soldiers, gentleman's and cowboy outfits.
The Barn Dance was held outside, most of the dances are done in groups of 6 - 8 couples, facing each other in long lines, or in a square shape. Once the caller (the man that tells you what to do next) calls the beginning of the dance, the young men pick a young lady to dance with (if they haven't already done that), and you get in you lines or squares. It is fun to get to talk to your partner before, after and during the dance, also those dancing in your group. In most barn dances you end up dancing with everyone in your group of the opposite gender, so it is nice if you know the people in your group, even if it is only their names. :) The rules for the young men and women in this group are great. The young men have to come ask for the dance. They take you out to the floor, either offering you their arm, or hand, dance with you. Then most offered to get you something to drink after you were done. They were all so gentlemanly, and they made the evening quite nice. The men could only ask a young lady to dance twice, so we all got to enjoy a lot of different dancers and personalities. The dancing was wonderful, pure bliss. The weather was a little bit cold and if we stood still too long, it got rather chilly. Once we started dancing though we warmed up. I was able to dance with a few people that I had never danced with before and that was enjoyable and educational. Some of the more experienced dancers could tell you how to do things a bit more smoothly, or just how to enjoy it more. :) It was terrific! My father and I danced one dance and it was special to get to dance with him. He ended up calling the dance, even though this was only the second dance he had been to, and I might add He did it very well... My little brother also danced with me and did an excellent job. He got into the dance after a few minutes and could to an extent keep up. He was darling. For those of you that do not realize how cute this was let me expound a little. My little brother is only 7 years old, and usually will not do anything like this. So I was very pleased that he asked me and then danced with a few others as well.
I was able to witness something I do not think many in my age group have the privilege to see. This night of barn dancing was a family evening, so there were children of all ages dancing with the adults. I saw "little men ask their mother's, sister's and other ladies to dance, then these little men become little men, taking your hand in theirs, escorting you here and there, offering you a drink and being the very essence of a gentlemen. I saw men slow down a dance for littler ones, or go ask the little girls to dance. Quite often we would be dancing in a group and there would be a little girl in the group with us. It was amazing to watch the young men instruct the little one as to where to go next and smile at the little mishaps that are bound to happen. It was precious to see one of the fathers take a little lady in pink frills, crinoline, and bows on to the floor, spin her around and watch her giggle in delight. Absolutely beautiful! I saw young men that did not have a partner take little ones to the side and show them the time of their lives. :) I saw Charity. One thing that my Mother and I just loved, was when one of the Fathers took the little one mentioned above in the pink frills out on the floor (to the side), and when the caller said swing your partner, he would lift her up and spin her around till she laughed her little girls laugh. It was so sweet.
It was an excellent evening. I have to admit that getting to be waited on, and feel beautiful, is marvelous. :) The dressed are so full and you feel as if you are floating when you are spinning in them. We finished a little after midnight and our family fell into our beds. :) Surprisingly I am not sore from the dancing. I am more sore from Sunday's activities, a group of us played Volley ball and I my cheekbone connected with the volley ball once, leaving me feeling a little bit dizzy every once in a while. Oh well, it was fun. I served a bunch of points the last game and even got the winning point.
It is hard to believe it is all over now and that we will not be getting to go to another dance for about 6 months. (Sigh) It will be fun to do it all again. :)
Here are a few links to explain barn dances.
http://www.fiddlingaround.co.uk/quicksilver/bardancefaq
http://www.dcdancenet.com/moredancing/contraecd.html
http://www.englishcountrydancing.org/
http://members.aol.com/ParadiseMO/english.html
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
A bit of poetry & thought
Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words. -Robert Frost, poet (1874-1963)
I am listening to Middlemarch right now, and when I saw this poem it made me think of a part I had just finished listening to. Dorthea & Ladislaw are speaking together and poems are brought up. She does not think she would every be very good at writing them, or understanding them. Ladislaw tells her what a poem is, and says some of the same things the poem above says, he also tells Dorthea that she is a poem in herself. Hmmmmm.
Anyway....:) I think I know why I am so horrible at writing poems. I have too much trouble finding words for my thoughts. :)
I am listening to Middlemarch right now, and when I saw this poem it made me think of a part I had just finished listening to. Dorthea & Ladislaw are speaking together and poems are brought up. She does not think she would every be very good at writing them, or understanding them. Ladislaw tells her what a poem is, and says some of the same things the poem above says, he also tells Dorthea that she is a poem in herself. Hmmmmm.
Anyway....:) I think I know why I am so horrible at writing poems. I have too much trouble finding words for my thoughts. :)
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
The Gift of Work
The principal cause of boredom is the hatred of work. People are trained from childhood to hate it. Parents often feel guilty about making children do anything but the merest gestures toward work. Perhaps the children are required to make their beds and, in a feeble and half-hearted fashion, tidy up their rooms once a month or so. But take full responsibility to clear the table, load the dishwasher, scrub the pots, wipe the counters? How many have the courage to ask this of a ten-year-old? It would be too much to ask of many ten-year-olds because parents have seriously asked nothing of them when they were two or three. Children quickly pick up the parents' negative attitudes toward work and think of it as something most sedulously to be avoided.
Our Lord and Savior worked. There is little doubt that He served in the carpenter shop under the instruction of His earthly father Joseph, putting in long hours, learning skill, care, responsibility, and above all, the glory of work as a gift to glorify His heavenly Father. He did always those things that please the Father. Later He chose almost all His disciples from those who labored with their hands. Even the apostle Paul, a man of brilliant intellect, made tents.
Booker T. Washington, an African-American who grew up in the South when members of his race were expected to do the hardest and dirtiest jobs, learned his greatest lesson from the example of a Christian woman. A New Englander, the founder of the Hampton Institute, she herself washed the windows the day before school started, so it would be nice for those children who had been born slaves.
Is work a necessary evil, even a curse? A Christian who spent many years in Soviet work camps, learning to know work at its most brutal, its most degrading and dehumanizing, testified that he took pride in it, did the best he could, worked to the limit of his strength each day. Why? Because he saw it as a gift from God, coming to him from the hand of God, the very will of God for him. He remembered that Jesus did not make benches and roofbeams and plow handles by means of miracles, but by means of saw, axe, and adze.
Wouldn't it make an astounding difference, not only in the quality of the work we do (in office, schoolroom, factory, kitchen, or backyard), but also in our satisfaction, even our joy, if we recognized God's gracious gift in every single task, from making a bed or bathing a baby to drawing a blueprint or selling a computer? If our children saw us doing "heartily as unto the Lord" all the work we do, they would learn true happiness. Instead of feeling that they must be allowed to do what they like, they would learn to like what they do.
St. Ignatius Loyola prayed, "Teach us, Good Lord, to labor and to ask for no reward save that of knowing that we do Thy will." As I learn to pray that prayer, I find that there are many more rewards that come along as fringe benefits. As we make an offering of our work, we find the truth of a principle Jesus taught: Fulfillment is not a goal to achieve, but always the by-product of sacrifice.
By: Elizabeth Elliot
I had a friend a few years ago, do a speech about the children of this society and how that they are not being taught how to work. They are lazy and grumpy about the littlest bit of work they have to do. She did a fabulous job on her speech, and her experience made it even more believable. She has a lot of siblings. Anyway, she made some great points that this article made me think about. Such as, if we do not teach children to find joy in their tasks now, and how to do the tasks efficiently even if they do not like them. We are harming the next generation in many aspects. Those children will grow up and when they do, they will not have a good work ethic, they will not have joy in their daily lives. They will be miserable, and they will not be the example God has called us to be. I think Mrs. Elliot does a great job expressing some concerns, and commands of the Lord. She is giving us a charge.
Our Lord and Savior worked. There is little doubt that He served in the carpenter shop under the instruction of His earthly father Joseph, putting in long hours, learning skill, care, responsibility, and above all, the glory of work as a gift to glorify His heavenly Father. He did always those things that please the Father. Later He chose almost all His disciples from those who labored with their hands. Even the apostle Paul, a man of brilliant intellect, made tents.
Booker T. Washington, an African-American who grew up in the South when members of his race were expected to do the hardest and dirtiest jobs, learned his greatest lesson from the example of a Christian woman. A New Englander, the founder of the Hampton Institute, she herself washed the windows the day before school started, so it would be nice for those children who had been born slaves.
Is work a necessary evil, even a curse? A Christian who spent many years in Soviet work camps, learning to know work at its most brutal, its most degrading and dehumanizing, testified that he took pride in it, did the best he could, worked to the limit of his strength each day. Why? Because he saw it as a gift from God, coming to him from the hand of God, the very will of God for him. He remembered that Jesus did not make benches and roofbeams and plow handles by means of miracles, but by means of saw, axe, and adze.
Wouldn't it make an astounding difference, not only in the quality of the work we do (in office, schoolroom, factory, kitchen, or backyard), but also in our satisfaction, even our joy, if we recognized God's gracious gift in every single task, from making a bed or bathing a baby to drawing a blueprint or selling a computer? If our children saw us doing "heartily as unto the Lord" all the work we do, they would learn true happiness. Instead of feeling that they must be allowed to do what they like, they would learn to like what they do.
St. Ignatius Loyola prayed, "Teach us, Good Lord, to labor and to ask for no reward save that of knowing that we do Thy will." As I learn to pray that prayer, I find that there are many more rewards that come along as fringe benefits. As we make an offering of our work, we find the truth of a principle Jesus taught: Fulfillment is not a goal to achieve, but always the by-product of sacrifice.
By: Elizabeth Elliot
I had a friend a few years ago, do a speech about the children of this society and how that they are not being taught how to work. They are lazy and grumpy about the littlest bit of work they have to do. She did a fabulous job on her speech, and her experience made it even more believable. She has a lot of siblings. Anyway, she made some great points that this article made me think about. Such as, if we do not teach children to find joy in their tasks now, and how to do the tasks efficiently even if they do not like them. We are harming the next generation in many aspects. Those children will grow up and when they do, they will not have a good work ethic, they will not have joy in their daily lives. They will be miserable, and they will not be the example God has called us to be. I think Mrs. Elliot does a great job expressing some concerns, and commands of the Lord. She is giving us a charge.
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