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Friday, August 19, 2011

Thoughts and Fancies

Is there a felicity in this world superior to quiet, country life? Superior to trying new recipes in the kitchen with the windows wide open and a soft breeze dancing through the house? Superior to tiptoeing across a creek in a fluffy white skirt after church on Sunday? Superior to sharing the first sweet taste of watermelon of the summer with family and watching the touching exploits of The Waltons? Superior to reading aloud Sleeping Beauty and The Four Elves to a precious, barefoot niece on the front porch? Superior to singing along with a Celtic CD while doing the laundry on a rainy day? Superior to spending time studying and reading in daily devotions, becoming utterly overwhelmed by the mercy and love of God?
I think not. God has been teaching me alot this summer...And though the carefree days of yet another summer have come swiftly to their end, I intend to carry these lessons with me into the fall and winter and new springtime and throughout every new stage of life. As you begin a new schoolyear with packed schedules and difficult deadlines and various activities, remember not to lose sight of the most important things...and people in life. Treasure the days and moments, be they good or bad, and most importantly, dwell in the Savior every morning, noon, and night. That is the secret to finding content and fulfillment in the best and worst of times.
My summer reading list still sits as hearty and plump as ever. I'm afraid I've only barely dented it, but is there anything so terribly wrong with continuing it past the summer? I have recently completed some exceptional books for which I intend to post reviews soon:) Two of them being The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien (I am convinced that Tolkien never fully grew up but carried all of his childish imaginings into adulthood. What a capital fellow he must have been!) and The Disciplined Life by Richard S. Taylor (an excellent challenge for the Christian life).
I love watching old movies and imagining living in long-past eras. Why, oh why, don't ladies still wear white gloves and long, elegant dresses? I have bemoaned the fact for years.

I have discovered several things this summer. One being, the only way to eat corn is on the cob, fresh from the garden, and salted and buttered to your heart's content. Another being, discussing theological and biblical issues with my dad late into the night is one of my favorite pastimes. You should try it sometime:) 

Yes, this post is lengthy and without rhyme or reason. I apologize. But I did have a splendid time writing it, so perhaps you enjoyed reading it...just a little? :)

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Filled with His Glory

Let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen.
~Psalm 72:19
"This is a large petition. To intercede for a whole city needs a stretch of faith, and there are times when a prayer for one man is enough to stagger us. But how far-reaching was the psalmist's dying intercession! How comprehensive! How sublime! "Let the whole earth be filled with his glory." It doth not exempt a single country however crushed by the foot of superstition; it doth not exclude a single nation however barbarous. For the cannibal as well as for the civilized, for all climes and races this prayer is uttered: the whole circle of the earth it encompasses, and omits no son of Adam. We must be up and doing for our Master, or we cannot honestly offer such a prayer. The petition is not asked with a sincere heart unless we endeavour, as God shall help us, to extend the kingdom of our Master. Are there not some who neglect both to plead and to labour? Reader, is it your prayer? Turn your eyes to Calvary. Behold the Lord of Life nailed to a cross, with the thorn-crown about his brow, with bleeding head, and hands, and feet. What! can you look upon this miracle of miracles, the death of the Son of God, without feeling within your bosom a marvellous adoration that language never can express? And when you feel the blood applied to your conscience, and know that he has blotted out your sins, you are not a man unless you start from your knees and cry, "Let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen." Can you bow before the Crucified in loving homage, and not wish to see your Monarch master of the world? Out on you if you can pretend to love your Prince, and desire not to see him the universal ruler. Your piety is worthless unless it leads you to wish that the same mercy which has been extended to you may bless the whole world. Lord, it is harvest-time, put in thy sickle and reap."

~Charles Spurgeon, from Morning and Evening

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Summer Sun

Great is the sun, and wide he goes
Through empty heaven without repose;
And in the blue and glowing days
More thick than rain he showers his rays.



Though closer still the blinds we pull
To keep the shady parlour cool,
Yet he will find a chink or two
To slip his golden fingers through.


The dusty attic spider-clad
He, through the keyhole, maketh glad;
And through the broken edge of tiles,
Into the laddered hayloft smiles.



Meantime his golden face around
He bares to all the the garden ground,
And sheds a warm and glittering look
Among the ivy's inmost nook.


Above the hills, along the blue,
Round the bright air with footing true,
To please the child, to paint the rose,
The gardener of the World, he goes.

~Robert Louis Stevenson, from A Child's Garden of Verses

Friday, August 5, 2011

Summertime Bliss

What is the secret enchantment that summertime holds? It is the special little moments that happen from sunrise to sunset each day. It is the everyday miracles that are often overlooked...

An endless supply of ice-cold pink lemonade...Every sip must be savored appropriately.

Late-night episodes of Bonanza with Daddy...Oh, for the days of the Cartwrights!

The blessing of helping with two Vacation Bible schools...the excited children with kool-aid-stained faces and endless energy:)
Breathtaking blue-sky days that leave you no choice but to take a long walk outside.
Click to listen to Frank Sinatra singing "Blue Skies"

Sweeping the porch with McKenzie on a hot afternoon...She swept behind me with a little feather duster:)

Watching the Kit movie with Grandma and Paw Paw...and bowls brimming with popcorn. Click to watch Kit: An American Girl trailer 
Losing yourself in a new adventure...Kingdom's Dawn (Chuck Black), The Hobbit (J. R. R. Tolkien), The Rim of the Prairie (Bess Streeter Aldrich)

Accepting new challenges in your Christian walk from Mere Christianity (C. S. Lewis), The Disciplined Life (Richard S. Taylor), What He Must Be If He Wants to Marry My Daughter (Voddie Baucham), The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God (D. A. Carson) 

Playing new songs on the piano while the sunlight streams in through the window...selections from Pride and Prejudice, Josh Groban, The Sound of Music

Relaxing with episode after heart-warming episode of Father Knows Best.

These are the unrivaled charms that summertime holds. Perhaps the secret enchantment is not so much in summertime itself, but in the eyes of those who have learned how to recognize it. What do you think? :)