Unexpected Surprises

My dad would have been 81 today. He's been gone from this world now for nearly five years. One of my brothers remarked just yesterday that it seems far longer. It feels that way for me, too.

I still have mostly good memories and for that I am thankful. Time has a way of softening the rough edges of the bad memories. One of my good memories involves Dad and I shopping at a bookstore for a birthday present for my older brother. Dad bought me a paperback copy of Jane Eyre (for 95 cents!). That was something that never happened in our family; receiving a gift on the day of another siblings' birthday. It was so amazing, in fact, that I wrote on the title page, below my name: Oct. 16, 1967. I was 12, and the book was too hard for me just yet, but a little over a year later, I read the book and fell in love with it. It was bittersweet reading, however. Mom and Dad had just separated a few weeks before.

Dad's Christmas cactus just bloomed yesterday. A few years ago it bloomed on the anniversary of his passing. I don't think plants understand calendars or anniversaries of any kind. But God sure does.

(I took a photo of the cactus, but don't know how to get it onto the computer. I'll try to get it added to this post soon. And just a little aside. Interestingly, I found out later that Jane Eyre was published on October 16, 1847.)

The Imitation of Christ - Part 8

The Imitation of Christ - Thomas a Kempis
Book 1 Chapter 8
Of the Danger of Too Much Familiarity

I have just been praying about the importance of good friends for our children, and how we can foster healthy Christian relationships between them and their peers.

God was gracious to point me to this quote from Kempis.

Let thy company be the humble and the simple, the devout and the gentle, and let thy discourse be concerning things which edify.

Lord, help me to teach my children these truths and to discern between those relationships that fit this standard vs. those that don't.

(our daughter with her dear, dear friend from ballet)

The Imitation of Christ - Part 6

The Imitation of Christ - Thomas a Kempis
Chapter 6
Of Inordinate Affections

"Whensoever a man desireth aught above measure, immediately he becometh restless. The proud and the avaricious man are never at rest; while the poor and lowly of heart abide in the multitude of peace."

I hate going to the mall. Yes, hate. I see things I want. I see things I never knew existed. I see pretty things. Useful things. Clothes I'd love to wear. Furniture I'd like to put in my home. Gifts I'd like to purchase for others.

But it's all stuff I don't need. It's stuff that makes me ungrateful. Discontent. Greedy. Resentful. Restless.

I come home and I know that I already have far more than I need. I have so many books, I'll never read them all. Most of them aren't "stylish" anymore, but I have more than enough clothes to keep me warm. My mom stopped by today to get two loads of clothes to wash for me, while our washing machine is broken. My children did their math totally on their own while I took a short nap, being a little under the weather today. I had time to read my Bible and ponder God's watchcare over Israel. Over me.

I want to abide in the multitude of peace. I want contentment and gratefulness to reign. So I'll count my blessings. And just continue staying away from the mall.

(Photo of St. Petrog's church in North Wales from this site.)

He Who Knew No Sin

21For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
2 Corinthians 5:21 (KJV)






Sin is a fundamental relationship; it is not wrong doing, it is wrong
being, deliberate and emphatic independence of God. The Christian religion bases everything on the positive, radical nature of sin. Other religions deal with sins; the Bible alone deals with sin.

The revelation of the Bible is not that Jesus Christ took upon Himself our fleshly sins, but that He took upon Himself the heredity of sin which no man can touch.

A man cannot redeem himself; Redemption is God's "bit," it is absolutely finished and complete...

Excerpts from My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers
October 7 entry

(detail from Gutenberg Bible)

The Imitation of Christ - Part 5

Book 1
Chapter 5
Of the Reading of Holy Scriptures

Our house holds lots of books. We haven't been able to buy like what we used to when I was working full time, but nonetheless, we still have tons of books. In addition, I give my library card a work out, so we manage to have new titles rotating around here all the time.

I always think to myself, "If only I could actually READ all of these books." Or better yet, "If only I could REMEMBER what I have already read!" And then there's my ultimate goal, "If only I could SYNTHESIZE all that's held in these books."

Ponder what Kempis has to say about reading:

~ We ought to read books which are devotional and simple, as well as those which are deep and difficult.

~ ...let the love of the pure Truth draw thee to read.

~ Men pass away, but the truth of the Lord endureth for ever.

~ If thou wouldst profit by thy reading, read humbly, simply, honestly, and not desiring to win a character for learning.

Another translation for this last sentence reads,

"...read with humility, simplicity, and faith..."

I like that.

Valleys - Part 2

The height of the mountain top is measured by the drab drudgery of the valley; but it is in the valley that we have to live for the glory of God. We see His glory on the mount, but we never live for His glory there. It is in the sphere of humiliation that we find our true worth to God, that is where our faithfulness is revealed.

My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers
October 2 entry

This photo is of Cades Cove in Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Now, I love Colorado, and I'm not too fond of excessive humidity (or the bugs that come with it). But there is something about this valley that feels like home to me. It doesn't have the closed in feeling of the hollows in West Virginia. The valley in Cades Cove is broad and boasts flat farm land, surrounded by tree-covered hills. In fact, being in Cades Cove almost makes me believe myself capable of homesteading there in the 1800s. Almost.

Sometimes the word "valley" has a negative connotation. We say we're going through a valley in our life, or we think of the valley of the shadow of death. We tend to forget that valleys can be fruitful places that offer stability and abundance. The valley is where we live and do our work.

Lord, help us to see that our time in the valley is not merely drab drudgery. Help us to be humble. Help us to live for the glory of God.

Valleys

We are built for the valley, for the ordinary stuff we are in, and that is where we have to prove our mettle. Spiritual selfishness always wants repeated moments on the mount.
My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers
October 1 entry

When our son climbed Mt. Elbert in August, he sent a picture of his looking down on the clouds. Coupled with this one from the summit, it almost seemed as if he took an airplane ride rather than a hike.

The quote from Chambers reminds me of this picture. The mountaintop is indeed spectacular, and getting there is quite an accomplishment. But, notice how the top is so barren and desolate. It's almost like being on the moon. It is actually in the valleys where vegetation flourishes.

Valleys may look pretty from afar, but being in them is usually not glamorous. It's where the work of life goes on. And the work of life is often messy and tiring. We make mistakes in the valleys. We don't see God's big picture. We look wistfully at the mountaintop and sigh. We want to think of life's valleys as temporary glitches in our mountaintop lives. Chambers reminds us it is the other way around.

Our son's mountaintop view was amazingly beautiful and awe inspiring. But just as he didn't stay long at the summit, we all must come back down to the valley. It is in the valley where our lives are lived.

Mountaintops

We have all had times on the mount, when we have seen things from God's standpoint and have wanted to stay there; but God will never allow us to stay there.

My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers
(October 1 entry)


In August our son climbed to the top of Mt. Elbert (14,433 feet) with the die hard hikers in his Scout troop. From the highest point in Colorado, he sent me this photo of himself at the summit.

Amazing things happen atop mountains. The ark rests on the mountains of Ararat, Moses receives the Ten Commandments atop Mount Sinai, and Jesus is transfigured before Peter, James, and John, on yet another mountain. Mountain tops are fun places to be. You have that exhilarating feeling of being on top of the world. You have a well deserved sense of accomplishment. And the sheer distance from civilization helps you put your life in perspective.

But God never tells us to stay on top of the mountain. Noah and his family were told to increase in number and fill the earth. Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the tablets, and the second time, the Lord told him to leave that place with the whole nation of Israel. After the transfiguration, not only do Jesus and the three others come down from the mountain, but Jesus instructs them not to tell anyone what they saw "until the Son of Man has risen from the dead."

My son didn't need any encouragement to return after the respite atop Mount Elbert. He didn't want to get caught by lightning in an afternoon thunderstorm. And I don't think his stomach would ever let him stay away from the campsite too awful long!

God will find a way to get us off the mountain and into the valley.

Our Call Has To Do...

"...with being made broken bread and poured-out wine.

If ever we are going to be made into wine, we will have to be crushed; you cannot drink grapes. Grapes become wine only when they have been squeezed."

My Utmost For His Highest
Oswald Chambers
September 30 entry


Every sentence in yesterday's reading was a gem. Chambers makes the potent analogy that we have to be crushed to be made into wine. That alone is powerful. But, he takes it one step further, and makes us wonder if we can stand to be crushed in a manner which we don't like.

"God can never make us wine if we object to the fingers He uses to crush us with. But when He uses someone whom we dislike, or some set of circumstances to which we said we would never submit, and makes those the crushers, we object."

Lord, give us strength to withstand life's crushing with grace.

(Photo: This is the closest thing to grapes which we have growing in our yard: hops. What would Laura Ingalls have thought? Here I am blogging and posting photos taken by my camera phone!)

The Imitation of Christ - Part 4

Book 1
Chapter 4
Of Prudence in Action

~Unhappily we are so weak that we find it easier to believe and speak evil of others, rather than good.

~Take counsel with a man who is wise and of a good conscience; and seek to be instructed by one better than thyself, rather than to folllow thine own inventions.

~The more humble a man is in himself, and the more obedient towards God, the wiser will he be in all things, and the more shall his soul be at peace.

A Process Steadily Maintained

"It is easy to imagine that we will get to a place where we are complete and ready, but preparation is not suddenly accomplished, it is a process steadily maintained. It is dangerous to get into a settled state of experience. It is preparation and preparation."

My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers
(Sept. 24 entry)

I seem to get my best blog ideas while reading during school. The kids each get one end of the couch and I get the rocking chair. Well, wouldn't you know...I'm finally able to sit down at the computer and now I forget what pearls of wisdom I had to say about this quote.

There have been times in my life when I've thought, "I'll really start enjoying life when...a boy asks me out on a date, I graduate from college and get a job, we buy a house, we get pregnant, we get out of debt, etc." I'm getting better at being content with where I am in life. I guess you could call it a "bloom where you are planted" philosophy. God has placed me here, at this time, with these limitations, these talents...and I think He expects me to use them for His glory.

So the next time I am tempted to sow seeds of discontent in my life, I should remember that my preparation is a process steadily maintained. This preparation can be for many things: school, meetings, maintaining our home, raising our children, studying God's Word, and even walking our dog.

The Imitation of Christ - Part 3

I love our public library. I go there often to get books for our home school, especially our history/English curriculum. The past few weeks, I've been using the free service of making five copies/day from the internet so I can build a copy of The Imitation of Christ from Project Gutenberg.

Book 1
Chapter 3
Of the Knowledge of Truth

The previous chapter about being humble dovetails nicely into this one. Again, Kempis cautions against striving after much knowledge.


~The more a man hath unity and simplicity in himself, the more things and the deeper things he understandeth; and that without labour, because he receiveth the light of understanding from above.

~A lowly knowledge of thyself is a surer way to God than the deep searching of man's learning. Not that learning is to be blamed, nor the taking account of anything that is good; but a good conscience and a holy life is better than all.

~And he is the truly learned man, who doeth the will of God, and forsaketh his own will.

(Chester Cathedral in England)

The Imitation of Christ - Part 2

Book 1
Chapter 2
Of Thinking Humbly of Oneself

Yesterday I posted about a man who calls himself a futurist. This excerpt from Kempis's book is the perfect rebuttal to the so-called miracle of information accessibility 24/7.

Rest from inordinate desire of knowledge, for therein is found much distraction and deceit. Those who have knowledge, desire to appear learned and to be called wise. Many things there are to know which profiteth little or nothing to the soul.

Many words satisfy not the soul, but a good life refresheth the mind, and a pure conscience giveth great confidence towards God.

Thank you, God, for drawing me close to you on this day 24 years ago. The more I learn about You, the more amazing your mercy becomes to me.

The Imitation of Christ - Part 1

Our ladies' Bible study has decided to read The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis (c. 1379-1471). Kempis (so named, for his native town of Kempen) was an Augustinian monk. The version I am reading states that his was "...an uneventful life spent in copying manuscripts, reading, and composing, and in the peaceful routine of monastic piety."

The book is arranged into four books, which are then subdivided into very short chapters. My public library version, updated in 1993, lacks the preciseness and beauty of the Gutenberg version I'm reading on line.

For example, the title of Chapter 1 in the modern version is On Following Christ Our Model. The Gutenberg version has translated the title as Of the imitation of Christ, and of contempt of the world and all its vanities.

It may be quicker to read, "It is better to experience contrition than to be able to define it."

But I prefer the poetry of, "I had rather feel contrition than be skilful in the definition thereof."

(This photo I found on line may be the monastery where Kempis lived.)

As the Family Farm Goes...

...so goes the country.

I just finished reading a novel, In a Pickle, by Jerry Apps. It takes place in Wisconsin during 1955-56. Big ag is slowly worming its way into family farms. The ones that will let them, anyway. Not the best book I've read, but he hit on a few truths. One of the characters muses upon the differences in farming when big ag takes over:

Farming would turn from growing food to producing a product. The land would no longer be something special but just another kind of factory. Inputs and outputs. Seed, fertilizer, and water in. Corn, cucumbers, potatoes, wheat, and oats out. The factory way. Measure the inputs. Measure the outputs. Farmer as factory worker, machine operator, and technician rather than steward, custodian, and caretaker.

One of the characters is widowed and must sell off her farm. About 25 years ago, my husband and I attended one such auction. Partly I wanted to be able to legally be on a farm for a time. I was also hoping to find an inexpensive antique for our apartment. But, I was struck by the sadness of it all. A lifetime of memories stuffed in boxes and laying on tables. All for sale. I fell in love with a milking stool, but I just couldn't bring myself to buy it. What right did I have to take this stool that could tell many a story? It felt like the stealing of a memory. Listen to how the author of the book described the widow at the auction:

Iris Clayton stood alone, watching her life on the farm being sold piece by piece, animal by animal. Memories flooded over her, of milking the cows that now were numbered to be sold--cows that she knew by name, Susan and Florence, Sally and Lilly, Amanda and Polly. She knew each one, knew her personality, how she wanted to be milked, what she liked to eat, how much milk she gave. Information that no one else cared about, private information that she held and cherished. How do you sell a memory? she wondered. The tears continued down her face.

Ultimately, the book has a hopeful ending. Although the reader laments the lives ruined by corporate intrusion, the main character is able to make some changes on his farm on his own terms, and he keeps his land and continues to farm.

As I read blogs written by Christians who farm, and I seek to slowly increase our own little suburban vegetable patch, I thank God for His creation and His provision. And may He richly bless the hard work of those who continue to farm and ranch for His glory.

Spring Break

Overheard in our house this week...while one parent was lying on the couch reading and sipping wine, and the other one was 'slaving' in the kitchen..."When do home school moms get spring break?"

Then, I ran across this from Peter Kreeft's The God Who Loves You:
We moderns often tend to forget eternal necessities since our lives are surrounded by human artifices, changing and changeable things.

I thought, Aha! This is why I desire to live a simpler life in the country. I want to get away from a life full of human artifices. I want to flee these 'changing and changeable things' and be closer to that which does not change. That which is of God and IS God.

Spring Break is a human artifice. Now, I'd like a Year of Jubilee as much as the next guy. But, Spring Break is not guaranteed in Scripture. Instead of grumbling that I don't get a vacation I need to be thankful for my many God-given blessings.

(By the way, I look NOTHING like this when I am in the kitchen!)